World War Two medals returned to burglary victim
A 93-year-old war veteran from Tyneside has been reunited with his medals more than two years after they were stolen.
Colonel Alex Johnson MBE lost items including a 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Dunkirk medal and D-Day medal, when his home in Rowlands Gill was burgled in February 2012.
The medals have now been discovered by workmen cutting hedging at the rear of the local Tesco Metro.
They were handed in to police who returned them to their rightful owner.
Col Johnson was present at the Normandy Landings and was later captured by German officers but managed to escape.
He eventually made his way to the coast, saving other injured people along the way, after finding a crashed truck.
PC Chris Cooke, of Northumbrian Police, said: "Reuniting Colonel Johnson with his medals is one of the most heart-warming moments I've had in my time as a police officer.
"I'll never forget the look on his face when they were handed back to him."