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Australian WWII Relic Discovered in UK

by | Sat, Jul 25 2020

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A piece of Australian wartime history has been discovered on a mountain in northern Britain.

Nine reports, 13-year-old Max Hazelhurst was hiking in Britain’s Lake District when he stumbled on a military identification tag from World War Two.

The tag belonged to Kalgoorlie pilot Private William Ernest Wills, who had been stationed at a training facility five kilometres away.

Max, who had been looking for reptiles, says he knew he’d made an important find when he spotted it.

“I was walking up that combe and I saw a rock with a piece of metal stuck under it, so I lifted it up and I noticed – I thought maybe a dog collar or something like that – and then I saw it and I thought, well it could be something different, maybe something special,” he says.

Back in Australia, family members of the deceased soldier are expressing their gratitude for the discovery.

Private Wills’ daughter Sharon Whiteford says she couldn’t believe it had been found.

“Just a flood of emotion, gratitude; we’re so grateful to Max for finding Dad’s tags,” she says.

Max and his mother were able to track down the owners via social media.