Adam Simpson-York, a 41-year-old postman from Ipswich, Suffolk, bought a WW1 Victory Medal on eBay for £40 and decided to trace the soldier's family to return it. His research led him to the great-granddaughters of Charles William Sayer, who served with the Royal Field Artillery during the war.
The Search Begins
Using the name and service number inscribed on the medal, Adam started digging through military and genealogical archives. He discovered that Charles was born on July 4, 1891, in Camberwell, south London, to John Charles Sayer and Cherry Anne Cousins. His father originally came from Gateshead and worked as a gas tester.
Census records showed that in 1901, Charles lived in Peckham with his parents, six siblings, and his grandmother Rebecca. By 1911, the 19-year-old was still at his parents' home, then in Carlton Grove. Military documents confirmed his service number as 68095 and his deployment date as August 2, 1915, when he was 23 years old.
Family Connections
Charles married Ethel Rachel Rudge in Essex in 1918. By 1921, he worked as an assistant for footwear retailer Upson's Limited and lived in Willesden, north-west London. The 1939 register listed him with his wife and two children in Lambeth. Charles and Ethel had five children, but one, Geoffrey, died in infancy.
Adam followed the lineage of Charles's son Alfred John, who married Ellen Maud Branson and had three children. Their son Alan married Elizabeth Bradwell, and they had two daughters, Stephanie Anne and Teresa Elizabeth Sayer. Adam found them on Facebook and also discovered Teresa's husband Sam had a business profile with a WhatsApp contact number.
Successful Contact
Sam replied quickly, and Adam explained his mission. Teresa verified the research, and the family said, "Teresa's dad and Uncle John would love this." Adam learned that John was "a bit of a war fanatic," making the medal an exceptional surprise gift.
Adam sent the medal by post, a fitting end given his profession. He remarked, "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."
Medals Going Home
Adam has returned many military items through his Medals Going Home initiative. His passion began during the Christmas coronavirus lockdown when he started researching a random medal. He describes his method as "building a family tree in reverse," tracing descendants forward rather than ancestors backward.
He added, "It's a great feeling connecting people with their history and those who came before them." While some investigations end in disappointment, this family proved "really helpful and inquisitive," making the task easier.
