20155
WWI Medals Return Home 100 Years Late
SummaryModern technology, a sharp-eyed nephew and the unusual spelling of the family surname have just combined to reunite Otumoetai's Mrs Dulcie Solley with World War 1 medals of her late father-in-law. Please note: This article was originally part of Tauranga City Library's 'Tauranga Memories' website (2011-2020). To your right the 'Archived Kete Link', if present, will take you to a snapshot of the original record. Tauranga Memories was made of several focus areas, called 'baskets'. This article was part of the Remembering War basket. It was first licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand License at http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/remembering_war/topics/show/1952. Initially created 23/04/2014, it underwent 2 edit, the last edit being 23/04/2014. Editors included: in this case only the original author. The original article may have included links, images etc that are not present here.Main BodyModern technology, a sharp-eyed nephew and the unusual spelling of the family surname have just combined to reunite Otūmoetai's Mrs Dulcie Solley with World War 1 medals of her late father-in-law.
Her nephew, Aucklander Craig Kelsall, takes an keen interest in militaria and was trawling US sites on the internet in January when he spotted the medals being offered for sale.
"Our surname, spelled with an 'e' is very uncommon," says Dulcie who is now in her 80s. "I believe we are the only ones in this country. So when Craig saw medals engraved with the family name being offered for sale he investigated further, confirmed the connection with his Aunt Dulcie, and took immediate action to purchase them."
Stephen Robert (Bob) Solley was born of farming stock in Kent, England in 1885 and came to New Zealand with his parents as a child.
The family settled and farmed in Taranaki where Stephen eventually started dairy farming in his own right.
He was attested into the New Zealand Army in 1916 and as he was by then a married family man and a farmer was most likely conscripted as the Army manpower shortage became acute.
"We don't know for certain," says Dulcie. "But he would not have been the first choice category of man to be sent to France."
Stephen Solley survived the war as a Private infantryman on the Western Front and returned to NZ in 1919. He was initially offered a government “rehab” farm in the Whangamōmona district which he turned down on account of its remoteness – instead purchasing a dairy property at Tāhuna near Morrinsville where he remained until retiring to Greerton in 1949. He died in 1966.
Dulcie has no idea how his two World War 1 service medals, which are correctly engraved with Stephen's name, rank and serial number, came to be in the United States.
"We have questioned family members and nobody knows. It is a complete mystery," she says.
However she concedes her father-in-law never talked about his wartime experiences and never took part in RSA activities, so he may not have considered the medals of any great value.
For now it is planned to have the two medals mounted and framed for display along with explanatory information, and for them to ultimately be passed on to great grandson Stephen who shares his ancestor's name.
Her nephew, Aucklander Craig Kelsall, takes an keen interest in militaria and was trawling US sites on the internet in January when he spotted the medals being offered for sale.
"Our surname, spelled with an 'e' is very uncommon," says Dulcie who is now in her 80s. "I believe we are the only ones in this country. So when Craig saw medals engraved with the family name being offered for sale he investigated further, confirmed the connection with his Aunt Dulcie, and took immediate action to purchase them."
Stephen Robert (Bob) Solley was born of farming stock in Kent, England in 1885 and came to New Zealand with his parents as a child.
The family settled and farmed in Taranaki where Stephen eventually started dairy farming in his own right.
He was attested into the New Zealand Army in 1916 and as he was by then a married family man and a farmer was most likely conscripted as the Army manpower shortage became acute.
"We don't know for certain," says Dulcie. "But he would not have been the first choice category of man to be sent to France."
Stephen Solley survived the war as a Private infantryman on the Western Front and returned to NZ in 1919. He was initially offered a government “rehab” farm in the Whangamōmona district which he turned down on account of its remoteness – instead purchasing a dairy property at Tāhuna near Morrinsville where he remained until retiring to Greerton in 1949. He died in 1966.
Dulcie has no idea how his two World War 1 service medals, which are correctly engraved with Stephen's name, rank and serial number, came to be in the United States.
"We have questioned family members and nobody knows. It is a complete mystery," she says.
However she concedes her father-in-law never talked about his wartime experiences and never took part in RSA activities, so he may not have considered the medals of any great value.
For now it is planned to have the two medals mounted and framed for display along with explanatory information, and for them to ultimately be passed on to great grandson Stephen who shares his ancestor's name.
Usage
AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries
Relates To
OrganisationsTauranga WW100EventsTauranga Memories (2011-2021) - Events
Admin
AuthorTauranga City Libraries Staff - Harley CouperType of ContributionCommunity storyTaxonomyStories | Events
Tauranga City Libraries Staff - Harley Couper, WWI Medals Return Home 100 Years Late. Pae Korokī, accessed 27/03/2025, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/20155
