A World War I medal found on the Jindabyne rubbish tip 20 years ago has been returned to the family in time for the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day.
The medal belonged to Harry Constable whose son Jeff now lives at the IRT retirement village at Dalmeny with his wife Hazel.
Harry’s grandson Ross Constable also lives in Narooma and is the ranger in charge of Montague Island.
Jindabyne stonemason, Mick Taylor said that he had dropped some rubbish off at the top and was “fossicking around” when he came across the old medal. However it wasn’t until much more recently that he mentioned it to fellow Jindabyne resident Jim Crocker who took a look at it.
“There was a name and a number around the edge but it was very worn but I was able to make out the service number,” Mr Crocker said.
Armed with this information Mr Crocker did a computer search of old wartime records and came up with a name and a match of Constable.
Mr Crocker then remembered that there had been a ranger at the Jindabyne NPWS by the name of Ross Constable and discovered that the medal belonged to his grand father.
Mr Constable is now a ranger for the NPWS in Narooma but was unaware that the medal had even disappeared.
“It’s a complete mystery; I don’t know how the medal got there because it never passed to me or my brother who were the only members of the family living at Waste Point at that time,” Mr Constable said.
The WWI Military Medal belonged to his grand father, Harry Constable who was in the 36th Infantry Battalion and served in France. The battalion was all but wiped out, Mr Constable said after they lost 2,000 men.
Mr Constable said: “Mick Taylor returned the medal, and when I took it to mum and dad they were extremely pleased. It was very good of him to return it to us and we will be forever grateful.”
The life of Harry Constable
Cpl. Harry Constable was lucky to escape death on the battlefields of France as he was wounded three times but kept fighting with great determination.
Harry was from a large family with 12 brothers and sisters and upon his signing up he was listed as a “sleeper cutter” from Dignam’s Creek.
Tragedy struck when he was back home at Dignam’s Creek as his wife Mildred died age 25 just days after the birth of their second child.
Jeff Constable and his sister where then split up with Jeff being raised by his maternal grandmother.
Mr Constable said it was amazing that his father survived the war being injured three times and surviving the infamous battle at Fromelle where 2000 men died in one day.
His battalion was so decimated that the survivors including Harry were then made part of the 39th Battalion.
Jeff and Hazel said they were very surprised that his medal for bravery had been found but were very glad to have it back in the collection.
“We always knew he won the Military Medal, but no one ever knew where it was,” he said.
“He was a very quiet man and never spoke about his experiences on the battlefield.”
Jeff himself went onto to have a distinguished career in the armed forces serving 34 years with the Royal Australian Air Force, training and becoming a skipper of “crash” or search and rescue boats.
A Noted Bomb Thrower
(Article from the Cobargo Chronicle; November 15, 1919)
Cpl. Harry Constable (Military Medal) was given a big welcome home at Dignam’s Creek last week.
He was presented with a gold ring, a medal and Eurobodalla Shire certificate. The chairman in welcoming the guest, explained that Cpl. Constable won the Military Medal for gallantry in No Man’s Land.
He was with a small party detailed to place cylinders of high explosives to assist in blasting a way through the barbed wire entanglements.
Getting ahead of time, he was hit by shrapnel from his own barrage, one arm being rendered useless.
He carried on and achieved his object. An enemy machine gun was giving trouble, and Harry being an expert bomb thrower was entrusted with the duty of settling gun and gunner.
He lobbed his bomb successfully, drawing the pin with his teeth. His bravery and resources were noted and he was awarded the distinction as mentioned.
Cpl. Constable, bred to cricket and other sport, had contested with 300 men, picked from 14,000, in a long distance throw of a cricket ball.
He threw 104 yards, two yards less than the winner. Later in France, in a similar contest, he threw 116 yards.
The silver medal medal won in this sport in England he sent home to his mother. As a bomb thrower he was noted for the distance and accuracy of his throw.
Enlisting as the latter end of 1915, Cpl. Constable sailed early in 1916, and took part in all great battles, and was still going strong in the lines when the last shot was fired.
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