The Missing Medals of Walter Frank Lunn

Before you read my son Jensen's transcript of the missing medals, I just want to tell you how this all began. My son and I love fishing. So, living in Gosport all my life, we have both enjoyed the Solent. on some of our trips, my father would be a topic of conversation, as my son never got to meet his Grandad, as he passed away on 23rd May 1975, just 9 months after my son was born. My father never spoke of his time at Dunkirk, so I would tell him of my limited knowledge of his grandad's bravery, which I had learned from my mother.

Following my father's death, Mum found life very difficult and sadly sold my father's medals, which none of the family knew until after she also passed away. I had no idea that, in 2016, my son and daughter set out to find the medals, which they eventually presented to me on Father's Day, June 16th, 2016. Following this wonderful surprise, my wife and I were presented with a weekend for two, all expenses paid, in Nice, south of France.

While sitting on a bench on the Promenade des Anglais, admiring the beach, we noticed a strange-looking couple heading our way. They sat on our bench and began to remove their disguises, revealing it was my son and his then partner. After lots of laughter, my son said, "We've hired a car, so come with us on a little journey." Off we went, crossing into Monaco and ending up at a small marina. At that point, my son said, "Follow me," and off we trotted down onto a pontoon, where he stopped and said, "Well, Dad, what do you think?" As we stood behind a £2m SunSeeker, I said, "Fabulous boat, have you won the lottery?" "No," said my son, "not that boat, THIS boat," which I then found out was the ANKH, the same boat my father had taken to Dunkirk on May 31, 1940, to rescue BEF forces personnel. The ANKH had been fully restored, and it was a very surreal moment that I will never forget.