War hero's medals stolen in burglary

[Kyt]

War hero's medals stolen in burglary - Ripon Today

A WAR hero is appealing for the return of his medals – including a Military Cross – after they were stolen in a burglary at the weekend.
Retired Colonel Rodney Harms, a Korean War veteran who served in the Army for more than three decades, discovered his six medals and other items were missing after the raid on his house in the Moorside area.

The 79-year-old and his wife, Elizabeth, had been away for the weekend and returned on Sunday afternoon to find the house in disarray and the back door forced open.

'violation'

"It's a violation of our home. The house was a mess and stuff had been thrown all over the place," said Mr Harms, who has lived in Ripon for 18 years.

Other items stolen included a platinum wedding ring which had belonged to his late mother-in-law.

The father of three and grandfather of seven said: "You don't have much by which your family can remember you by. The medals are quite an important aspect of my life because they represent 36 years of service and the stories behind them are very interesting."

Mr Harms, who grew up in Knaresborough, joined the Army in 1947 and spent most of his career in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) serving in many regions of the world including Korea, Northern Ireland, Turkey, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Military Cross

He was decorated with the Military Cross in 1957 for his role in a daylight raid on enemy positions during the Korean War four years earlier.

Mr Harms, a committed Christian, said he bore no malice towards whoever stole his medals but he wanted back what was rightfully his.

He said: "I ask that the thief or thieves return the medals to me by whatever route they choose, preferably through the letter box of our front door. But if they choose to use an intermediary, or the post, that is up to them."

Police say the burglary was one of four which happened in the area during a four-day period.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ripon police on 0845 60 60 24 7 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

[Antipodean Andy]

Seems to be happening all too frequently.