Lost and found

By Andrew Stackpool

World War II Army veteran Jack McLennan thanks LAC Rodney Furminger for returning his medals, lost for more than 50 years.

Photo by SQNLDR Paul Lineham

A FAIRLY normal phone call from Leading Aircraftman Rodney Furminger from RAAF Base Darwin to his aunt asking for his grandfather’s World War II medals turned into a research project and a detective story with a happy ending.

“My grandfather was in the Air Force and after he died, he passed his medals on to his oldest son, my uncle,” he said. “Then, after he died I contacted my aunt and asked her if I could have them.”

Leading Aircraftman Furminger’s aunt sent him a box containing two loose medals – and six others. He took them all to a business in Darwin that mounted medals and they told him that the details didn’t match.

The six-group belonged to a certain Jack McLennan. The shop advised him that he could keep them, loan them to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) or try to track down Mr McLennan or his descendants.

“I know how important medals are to the families of Servicemen and ex-Servicemen,” he said. “So I decided to try to contact Mr McLennan.”

His search started with the AWM, who provided him as much detail as they legally could to a researcher who was not a family member.

His investigations then led to many brick walls and blind alleys.

With the track almost at a dead end, Leading Aircraftman Furminger left his inquiries for about a week and then decided to give the AWM one more try. He struck pay dirt.

“I spoke to a lady and explained that I had these medals and wanted to get them back to Mr McLennan. She said there was nothing more that they could do but that she had seen an article in The Canberra Times about a gentleman who helped people with medals, similar to my situation.

“I got on to the Times and spoke to the journalist who had written the article. She said she would not give me the name of the person but would contact him and ask him to call me.”

The gentleman did so. He was Lieutenant Colonel Glyn Llanwarne, Chief of Staff of the Army Recruit Training Centre, whose hobby is returning lost medals to their rightful owners.

“I’ve been returning medals for about five years. So far I’ve returned 147 medals and I do this free of charge,” Lieutenant-Colonel Llanwarne said.

“I’ve developed several relationships to assist me, including with the AWM and RSL. The RSL kindly has given me free column space where I can update what has been returned and who I’m searching for. I told Leading Aircraftman Furminger I would add Jack’s details to my list.”

A few days after the list was published this search put him on to 84-year-old Jack McLennan of Elanora on the Gold Coast, who put his hand up and said, “I think that’s me”.

Mr McLennan had served in World War II with 2/25th Battalion.

He couldn’t remember when and how the medals went missing, although he believed it might have been at the 1952 Anzac Day march.

There appeared to be no connection between Leading Aircraftman Furminger’s family and the McLennans that would explain the mystery of how the medals came to be in Leading Aircraftman Furminger’s grandfather’s possession so many years ago.

Leading Aircraftman Furminger believes that possibly the two men were at the same march and somehow the lost medals were given to his grandfather for safekeeping until Mr McLennan could be found.

Lieutenant Colonel Llanwarne told Mr McLennan that Leading Aircraftman Furminger would be in touch with him.
“At that point I rang Leading Aircraftman Furminger who, after so many dead ends, was somewhat shocked that after only about two months I had managed to locate Jack,” he said.

“Rod has done a great job.”

“Mr McLennan was absolutely dumbfounded when I rang him,” Leading Aircraftman Furminger said. “I told him I’d get the meals cleaned and mounted and bring them to him.”

Leading Aircraftman Furminger had the medals refurbished and mounted. He then flew to the Gold Coast to present them to Mr McLennan, who had also been a bagpiper with the battalion, in time for Anzac Day.

Mr McLennan spent a long time telling Leading Aircraftman Furminger of his war experiences, saying he was still dumbfounded and couldn’t believe that after all that time his medals were finally restored to him.

“It was fantastic tracking him down and giving his medals back,” Leading Aircraftman Furminger said.

“I thought I wouldn’t until I was lucky to find the right people [at the AWM and The Canberra Times] at the right time.

“I could appreciate how he would have felt losing his medals as one of my grandfather’s is missing and I’m trying to replace it.

“I just hope families realise just what these medals stand for and look after them properly.”

Anzac Day 2005 was the first time since World War II that Mr McLennan hadn’t played his pipes at a parade; it was the first time since 1952 that he wore his own medals.

He consigned his much-worn replicas to his bottom drawer, thanks to Leading Aircraftman Furminger’s compassion and diligence.

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