A postman who bought a First World War Victory Medal on eBay for £40 tracked down the soldier's grandson and returned it as a surprise gift. Adam Simpson-York, 41, from Ipswich, Suffolk, used the name and service number engraved on the medal to trace the family of Charles William Sayer.
The search begins
Adam, a genealogy enthusiast, scoured military and genealogy records to piece together Charles's life. He discovered Charles was born on July 4, 1891, in Camberwell, south London, to John Charles Sayer and Cherry Anne Cousins. Charles served with the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War, with service number 68095, and disembarked on August 2, 1915, aged 23 years and six months.
His research revealed that Charles's father was originally from Gateshead, County Durham, and worked as a gas tester. Charles was recorded at Arthur Street School in Beckenham in 1899, now known as Churchfield School. The 1901 census showed Charles living with his parents, six siblings and grandmother Rebecca in Peckham. By 1911, Charles was still with his parents in Carlton Grove.
Tracing the family
Charles married Ethel Rachel Rudge in Essex in 1918. By 1921, he was employed as a boot and shoe dealer's assistant for Upson's Limited, living in Willesden, north-west London. The 1939 register placed him in Lambeth with his wife and two children. Charles and Ethel had five children, though one, Geoffrey, died as a baby.
Adam followed the line of Charles's son Alfred John, who married Ellen Maud Branson and had three children. Their son Alan married Elizabeth Bradwell and had two daughters, Stephanie Anne and Teresa Elizabeth Sayer. Adam located Stephanie and Teresa on Facebook and also found a WhatsApp number for Teresa's husband Sam's business page. Sam responded promptly, and Teresa confirmed the findings. The family said "Teresa's dad and Uncle John would love this," noting John was "a bit of a war fanatic."
Returning the medal
Adam posted the medal to the family, who planned to present it to Charles's grandson as a surprise. "This time it was sent to the family in the post. The fact that I'm a postman just adds to the story I suppose," Adam said. He has reunited numerous medals through his Medals Going Home project, which began during the Christmas coronavirus lockdown when he started researching a random medal.
Adam described the process as "building a family tree in reverse," working forwards through descendants. He noted that genealogy websites have limits, so he uses Google and social media for recent generations. "It's a great feeling connecting people with their history and those who came before them," he said. He acknowledged that not all searches succeed, saying, "This is one of my most successful stories. However, there are many times when people don't reply, or when they're not interested which can be disappointing after doing all the research." In this case, the family were "really helpful and inquisitive," making it easier to confirm his findings.
