A metal detectorist from Brierfield found a brooch, that dates back to the First World War, and has now reunited it with relatives of the original owner.
Last year, John Bradbury found a silver brooch with the name ‘Jane’ engraved on it while out with his metal detector in a field in Nelson.
The silver pin is a ‘sweetheart brooch’, worn by the wives or girlfriends of military men who went to war.
John, who posts to YouTube channel John’s Detecting Adventures UK, said: “I found it last year but the people in the family had things happening in their life meaning we couldn’t present it until this year.
“I was nearing the gate thinking it was nearly time to go home when the machine went off. I thought I might uncover something interesting here. I dug a few inches down and staring at me was the silver broach.
“At the time I didn’t really know what I had until I showed it to one of my friends. I went back to the farmer and wanted to find the people who owned it.”
With the help of the farmer of the land he found it on, John managed to track down family members of the brooch to a pub in Southfield. It had originally belonged to a woman called Jane Cannon.
John said: “They told me they had an auntie called Jane and they owned the land at that time. She was around in the war, probably working on the land when she lost it. That is when we started organising a presentation.
“I took it to the jewellers and put a missing pin back on and got it cleaned up, in a nice box.
“It’s nice that this one has led to some sort of conclusion. To actually find something and hand it back to the family is the most precious thing you can do for a family. I couldn’t wait to present it back to the family.”
John, who has been metal detecting as a hobby for 36 years, said he has uncovered many interesting artefacts throughout the years.
His dream is to star in a television show where he brings his metal-detecting machine to celebrities’ land. John said he has already been approached by two celebrities, which he has not yet named, to search their land.
He said: “I have a passion for history and telling stories about historical artefacts I find. Finding history in the ground gives me great pleasure. Some items are thousands of years old.
“The oldest things I have found in the area so far are 4,000-year-old axe Bronze age heads. There are also a lot of items which date back to the medieval period.
“What I would love to do is for celebrities to come forward so we can find artefacts on their land and make a big display for them.
“I have stories to last a lifetime about my adventures. I get excited and have a passion for it all. I can’t wait to put a detector in my hand and get out there to see what history I am going to find today.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here