LOST MEDALS FOUND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 February 1939, Page 9

LOST MEDALS FOUND

AFTER TWENTY-FOUR YEARS. WANGANUI MAN’S SURPRISE. I | Twenty-four years after they had I been lost, the last mail from England [ brought Mr Arthur C. Venus, of WaI nganui, three gold medals which were I among his personal effects lost while ' serving in France in the Great War. The "miracle" was worked by the New Zealand Office in London. The letter Mr Venus received merely stated that the medals had, been found and I would be forwarded to him. No indication was given as to how they came into the hands of the New Zealand Office. For some years before the war Mr Venus was prominent in boxing circles and built up a reputation as one of the cleverest and gamest men of his weight in the Dominion. In the 191314 season he won the bantamweight and the featherweight championships at the Wanganui Centre’s tournament, and the month before the war broke out he competed at the New Zealand championships held in Wanganui, winning the bantam title. As a result of his Wanganui and championship wins Mr Venus was awarded a gold medal carrying his name and that of his homo town incribed. Like many others who competed at that tournament, he went to France with one of the first contingents to j leave these shores, and in 1915 lost | his kit with all his personal belongings. j including the medals. He valued these | trophies very highly, and made every i possible effort to recover them. He re- , turned to Wanganui after the war with- j out any trace of the medals having i been found.