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An elderly man has been left ‘gutted’ after his family’s war medals and jewellery were stolen in a burglary at his home in Nailsea.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary is now appealing to members of the public for information following the break-in which has left Roy Bowden with nothing left.
The burglary happened at a property in Vynes Way at about 6.30pm on Monday (January 20). The thieves went around the back and gained entry by smashing Roy’s dining room window.
Roy, aged 86, is descended from five generations who are from a naval background.
The medals stolen were received by two of his relatives – his great great uncle Winfield and his grandfather Henry Bowden.
They are two Victorian naval silver long service medals, one which includes “Chief Steward Winfield” engraved on the rim, and a silver china medal with “Luck now” relief bar on the ribbon which belonged to Mr Winfield.
An Egypt medal bar with “Alexandria 1881”, and a George V Good Conduct and Long Service silver medal belonged to Mr Bowden.
Roy told Bristol Live: “I’m gutted really. I was planning on passing down the medals down to my children and grandchildren.
‘I really wanted to pass them to my grandchildren’
“My aunt’s passed down these medals to me and I really wanted to pass them on to my own children and grandchildren.”
Roy, himself, isn’t from a military background. He started out his career as an engineer in Plymouth during the 1960s.
After 1969, Roy worked for the Royal Mail and then moved offices from Plymouth to Southampton, before moving to Bristol. He retired after 30 years service.
Roy said: “I come from a naval background which goes back five generations. These are my grandfather and two great uncles medals that have been stolen.
(Image: Dan Regan/BristolLive)
“The earliest medal that has been stolen dates back to the reign of George V. My great uncle served on the Royal Navy boats which were used to trap the U-boats during the Second World War.
“My grandfather retired from service at some point in the 1950s. He received the George V Good Conduct Medal as well as an Egypt medal bar with ‘Alexandria 1881.’
“The rarest medal which has gone missing is a China War Medal which dates back to sometime during the 1880s.”
Roy was away from his house for a week because he was visiting a friend to celebrate their birthday when the burglary took place.
He said: “I was away at my friend’s birthday for a week. I came back to my house at 3.30pm on Tuesday and found that all my family’s war medals and jewellery had been stolen.”
A significant amount of jewellery was also stolen from Roy’s home including wedding rings, necklaces and bracelets, pearls, cufflinks and brooches, as well as an Omega watch, silver cutlery and numerous old pound and shilling notes.
Roy spoke of the significance of losing so many family heirlooms.
- Lock all your windows and doors every time you leave your house – even if you are just in the garden – and remembering to double lock UPVC doors.
- Keep entrances to your property easily visible by ensuring nearby hedges and trees are well maintained.
- Make sure boundaries to your property – including fencing and walls – are in a good state of repair.
- Ensure any side gates are securely locked to prevent unwanted access to the rear of your property.
- Where possible install a visual burglar alarm and an outside security light, ideally one of which is sensor-activated.
- Remove valuables from view of ground floor windows.
- Remove keys from door locks and store them out of sight.
- Store any high value items such as jewellery and passports in a properly secured and hidden safe or bank vault.
- Where possible, leave radios and lights in your house on a timer to make the property appear occupied
- Consider joining your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
He said: “All the jewellery that was stolen also belonged to my family.
“It’s been passed down throughout the generations.
“You just never expect something like this to ever happen to you.”
What the police said
A witness from the scene described seeing an unknown man in the front room of the property at around 6.30pm and police enquiries are ongoing.
PC Emma Leadbeater said: “This is a callous offence in which an elderly man has had his home broken into and a large amount of valuable and sentimental items have been stolen from him, including his war medals.
“We are committed to tackling burglary across and Avon and Somerset and will be doing all that we can to identify and apprehend the individual responsible and where possible return the stolen belongings.”
Police are asking members of the public to keep an eye out on online selling sites for anyone selling items that match the description of the stolen belongings, and are also appealing to anyone who works in antique shops and pawnbrokers to call the police with any relevant information.
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