A 108-year-old war medal belonging to a British military hero from a famous family of aviation pioneers and Hollywood stars has been found in a box at the Stockton RSL sub-branch.
Thanks to the keen detective work of Maitland family research volunteer Christine Barrett, Hereward de Havilland's 1914 Star will soon be reunited with his grandchildren in London.
Hereward De Havilland founded de Havilland Australia, which is now part of the Boeing empire.
"The best and most accurate way to do it is to start with what you know and work back from there," Ms Barrett said of her discovery.
"It took me about a week, I'm a bit of a bulldog.
"The whole thing is unbelievable, I have no idea how it ended up in Stockton."
It's incredible the medal was saved at all, but with a bit of luck and the help of a generous sleuth it's headed back to where it always should have been - home.
The medal came to Ms Barrett from Hunter historians John Gillam and Yvonne Fletcher, who have spent years compiling a list that has grown to 2401 World War I soldiers whose service medals weren't issued for a number of reasons.
Either their families chose not to apply for them; they died and their families were 'untraceable' or couldn't be contacted; they were court martialed; discharged and forfeited their medals; died in institutions or were underage when they enlisted.
Since 2016, the pair have been helping soldier's relatives and institutions apply for WWI medals.
They first came across de Havilland's medal through Stockton RSL sub-branch president Vince Broady, who picked it and a few others up in a box at Tilligery RSL sub-branch - where they most likely would have stayed for some time if not for Mr Broady's connection with Mr Gillam and Ms Fletcher.
All of them had been handed in by police, believed to have been in their stolen goods store.
How they ended up at the police station, or their journey from where de Havilland died at Victoria's Mornington Peninsula in 1976, remains a mystery.
De Havilland's granddaughter, who lives in London, said she expected the medal would be found in Australia as de Havilland spent much of his life there, eventually retiring in Dromana.
"The way the medal was found was surprising," she said.
"There were no medals among the things my father received shipped from Australia after Hereward's death in 1976. This will be wonderful for us to have.
"We are so grateful to everyone who has been involved in bringing this medal to light, it has made a most unusual journey, and I think Hereward would be very pleased and perhaps wryly amused by its route to us."
De Havilland has an incredible story himself, born on December 2, 1894 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire to Rev. Charles de Havilland and his wife Alice Jeanette.
He had two brothers, Geoffrey and Ivon, and his cousins were actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine - who rose to fame in Hollywood's 'Golden Age'.
The three brothers owned a mechanical workshop at their home near Newbury, and would practise flying at their grandfather's farm Medley Manor just outside Oxford.
Hereward went on to have an illustrious career, flying in a number of campaigns in Europe and the Middle East during WWI where he eventually climbed the ranks to Major.
De Havilland was awarded a Distinguished Service Order in March, 1917 for his service in the field in Mesopotamia and was the youngest airman at the time to receive one.
He was also awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order later that year.
A decade later, he established de Havilland Australia which eventually became Hawker de Havilland Aerospace Pty Ltd, renamed Boeing Aerostructures Australia in 2009. It's now a subsidiary of Boeing Australia.
Mr Gillam said it's an incredibly story, the fact the medal was found and that it can be reunited with de Havilland's family.
"The three brothers, Geoffrey, Ivon and Hereward set up the de Havilland aircraft company, they made Tiger Moths, Mosquito bombers, the Comet, a whole range of aircraft," he said.
"Nowadays you would know the Dash 8 that flies to Brisbane out of Newcastle, that's one of their family's aircraft.
"Hereward went around the world and somehow ended up back in Australia where he died at the Mornington Peninsula in 1976, so how did the medal end up in Stockton from down there for starters?
"How these medals have been separated from the family, God only knows, there's a story there but whether we ever find out - that's another thing."
He said a lot of people now purchase replicas to march with on Anzac Day or to wear to services on Remembrance Day because they no longer have the original.
"It's family history, it's part of your history and an association with heroes of the family," Mr Gillam said.
"This man is a hero of the family, he had the Distinguished Service Order handed to him by King George V, so he was quite an accomplished fighter pilot."
Outside of his military career, de Havilland also flew solo in the 1929 Western Australian Centenary Air Race, coming second on handicap and winning £300 with the fastest overall time prize.
That same year he joined the board of Airspeed Ltd and was given the title of joint managing director.
Eventually he went on to manage and develop de Havilland's aircraft across the world, including in South America.
Ms Barrett said she was thankful to have been able to find his granddaughter and connect with her.
"It means the world to them, absolutely means the world," she said.
"I think as far as war medals and bringing them back to families, it's the ultimate ... even just doing the family history with our research group and being able to connect people with their ancestors, it gives us a lot of joy.
"And actually I love digging, I should have been a detective."
Ms Barrett's cleverness isn't lost on the family, and de Havilland's granddaughter said she was incredibly grateful to Mr Gillam, Ms Fletcher and everyone else who'd been involved in finding the medals and bringing them home.
"It is marvellous that people are taking great time and trouble to reunite families with medals of their forebears," she said.
"Medals are such a symbol of individual sacrifice and endeavour, and serve as valuable reminders of these qualities to the families that possess them.
"We certainly all know of Hereward's long career in aviation, and that of his older brother Geoffrey. We are very proud of what they achieved, and also what all those around the world achieved, including in particular so many in Australia, who worked for, and with, de Havilland Aviation over many years."
As for the medal's future, de Havilland's granddaughter and grandson will discuss whether to keep it in the family or gift it to a museum.
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