LESLIE Wiles described it as like winning the lottery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Except the items she received hold only sentimental value.
Four months after they were allegedly stolen from her Tingira Heights home during a brazen daytime break-in, Mrs Wiles was reunited with her family’s precious war medals.
An amputee, Mrs Wiles will need a wheelchair to march this Anzac Day, but says the medals will be pinned proudly to her chest during the centenary celebrations at Swansea RSL.
The medals, which include a rare Z Special Commando Unit lapel badge that originally belonged to her father Bruce ‘‘Buster’’ Brown, were handed back to her on Friday by Lake Macquarie Constable Jamie Taylor at Swansea police station. It drew to a close an emotional saga for the Wiles family who thought they would never see their beloved heirlooms again.
‘‘He stole a lot of very precious things, but the most precious was in fact these war medals,’’ she said.
‘‘There are things here that I could not replace and money couldn’t buy so I am really grateful for what the police have done.
‘‘I was staggered that anybody would steal war medals, because I thought there is no re-sale value and anybody that has war medals obviously has them because they have great sentimental value, something that they hold very near to their heart, so I didn’t understand why they would ever take these medals.’’
Mrs Wiles said it meant ‘‘a huge amount’’ to have them returned ahead of the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day.
‘‘It’s really emotional . . . and anybody out there with a family history that has served in any of the wars would understand how important this is,’’ she said.
‘‘[Constable Taylor] came to our house the day they were stolen and he has been involved in the investigation from the start so it was great to get a call from him [Thursday night] saying: ‘‘I’ve got some really good news for you Mrs Wiles, we’ve recovered your medals’’.
‘‘I was grinning from ear to ear and I don’t think I’ve stopped grinning since. ‘‘I said I feel like I’ve won the lottery.’’
Mrs Wiles was at home on November 26 when a man allegedly broke in through the back door, hid inside and then ransacked several bedrooms. He stole a number of items, including a small box containing the medals, which were originally presented to Mrs Wiles’ grandfather Bill Reed for his service during World War I and Mrs Wiles’ father Mr Brown and mother Sonny Brown, who served during World War II.
It wasn’t until police arrived later with paperwork bearing her name that Mrs Wiles realised her house had been looted.
‘‘I was sitting at my computer when a face appeared at the door,’’ she said. ‘‘I advised the young man that there was nobody here that he was looking for.
‘‘Then he disappeared and a few seconds later I thought hang on I didn’t hear any sound of him coming in or out of the side gate. ‘‘I put my leg back on and went downstairs to see if he had been in the house.
‘‘I did a very thorough inspection and there was no sign of him anywhere at all.’’ Mrs Wiles returned to the computer and it is believed that at that time the offender came out of hiding and went through her house. It was the third break-in in that area of Tingira Heights in one day and dozens of police converged on nearby bushland in an attempt to find the suspects. But they slipped the net until police arrested a 24-year-old man from Windale in January. He was charged with aggravated break and enter, but the medals remained outstanding. It wasn’t until Thursday night that a ‘‘member of the public’’ handed the medals in to Swansea police station. It was unclear where they had been stored and how they came to be returned. But Mrs Wiles said she was just happy they were back where they belong.
Her father, known to all as ‘‘Buster’’, served as a Sergeant Major in the Z Special Commando Unit in the Asian Pacific region during World War II. The majority of the medals were presented to him, including the Pacific Star and 1939–45 Star.
Her mother was a driver in Australia during that time and the pair met while they were in the military. Mrs Wiles’ grandfather, Mr Reed, was born in London but moved to Australia at 13 and served in France and Belgium during World War I.
This article first appeared on The Herald website.