'Shaken and angry' - Family reveal heartache as late father's First World War medals stolen in Stourbridge
"They are the few items she has got that were her father's – she has got no memories of him."
The words of Karen Cotterill, whose 94-year-old mother has been left heartbroken after two First World War medals which were awarded to her father were stolen during a raid on her home.
The great-grandmother was left devastated after burglars took the medals, which hung in a frame in her dining room at her home in Stourbridge.
Her father Arthur Hogbin died when she was just two-years-old so the medals were extra special to her and seen as a link to his memory.
She was left 'shaken and angry' after arriving home to discover they had been taken.
A pocket watch, carried by Mr Hogbin during the war, was also stolen, along with her 18ct gold ruby and diamond engagement ring, described as 'priceless' and a watch, which was a birthday present from her late husband. The thieves even took the photograph of Mr Hogbin.
Mrs Cotterill, 62, questioned what sort of person could take war medals and has now called on whoever to stole the items to look into their conscience and return them.
She said: "I want them for mum's peace of mind, if they could leave them somewhere, anywhere they could be found.
"They are the few items she has got that were her father's. For them to be stolen is very sad."
Mr Hogbin was awarded the British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal in recognition of his service during the Great War.
He was a volunteer who served in Greece with The Royal East Kent Regiment and later lived in Smethwick.
The woman, who lives alone at the bungalow, arrived home on Thursday, November 3, to find she had been burgled just a week before Remembrance Day.
West Midlands Police has launched an investigation and has called on anyone with information to contact them on 101.
