A WAR medal that mysteriously turned up on the streets of Birmingham has been returned to its rightful owner – thanks to the Birmingham Mail and a group of plucky sailors.

Last week the Mail exposed a riddle involving a Second World War medal that was found lying on the road. An anonymous good samaritan handed in the award to HMS Forward in Saltley and sailors began their mission to reunite it with the war hero who won it.

Now, the daughter of the owner has been given the award after a family member saw an appeal in the Birmingham Mail.

Tania Phillips, whose father Alan Shorney won the medal after serving with the Royal Norfolk Regiment in Dunkirk and Burma, said: “I was so emotional when I found out that my dad’s medal had been found that I burst into tears. It was such a shock to see his name in the paper.

“When my mum and dad died a few years ago they left his medals to me but I let my brother keep them.

“We just don’t know how it ended up in the street.

“Dad was a very private man when it came to the war but we know he played a big part fighting in Burma.

“He never told us if he had been taken as a prisoner-of-war but we remember he used to have nightmares when he returned home.”

Mrs Phillips, a mother of three and an auxiliary nurse at Selly Oak Hospital, has vowed to keep the medal with her father’s war journal and photos.

She was presented with the medal in front of 50 troops at HMS Forward on Tuesday night. Lt Christopher Moore said: “We are absolutely delighted that we have been able to give this medal back to the family of Mr Shorney.”

Mrs Phillips would like to personally thank the person who found her dad’s medal.

* Were you that person? Contact the Birmingham Mail newsdesk on 0121 234 5000.