A World War I medal has been returned to the family of an Aboriginal soldier after being lost for a century. Adelaide man Mark Howard discovered the British War Medal in a locked box belonging to his father, which he opened with a reciprocating saw. The medal bore the name and service number of Alfred 'Jack' Coombs, an Indigenous soldier who enlisted in 1916 and was wounded on the Western Front.
Howard, who found the medal in his shed, drove to Melbourne to personally deliver it to the Coombs family. 'My family didn't earn it; it needed to go back to where it belonged,' he said. The medal was presented to Kevin Coombs, Jack's grandson and Australia's first Indigenous Paralympian, who received an OAM for his achievements in wheelchair basketball and Aboriginal welfare.
Kevin Coombs highlighted the discrimination faced by Indigenous soldiers, noting that they were denied land grants, pensions, and soldier settlement schemes after the war. 'When you're at war, you're as good as anyone, as your mate, but when the war's over you come back and you're just another Aboriginal,' he said. He also recalled traveling overseas on an honorary British passport because Aboriginal people were not considered full citizens.
Howard described the return as an emotional journey that completed the story of a medal lost for 100 years. The medal was originally awarded to Jack Coombs, who died in Drouin, Victoria, in 1948. Howard hopes the gesture will help recognize the sacrifices of Indigenous soldiers.
