Buxton man looking to find new home for WW1 and WW2 medals

Wayne Taylor started collecting Buxton war medals when he moved to the town in 2009.

Later this year he is moving to Scotland but he wants the medals he has collected to stay in the area.

The 58-year-old said: “It seems only right they should stay in the Buxton and High Peak area.”

Wayne, who is ex-navy, moved to Buxton for work and wanted to expand his local knowledge and medal collection. He started researching those who fought in the area and has built up his collection over many years.

He said: “It’s amazing what you learn when you start looking into things.

"There is a plaque on Bennett Street in Buxton where 11 men from the same street went off to fight.

"I have the medals of a soldier whose son was born in September but the soldier died in conflict the following month and never saw their child."

When a soldier dies, Wayne says their family is given a death plaque which has the soldier’s medals and a bit about their death and as part of his collection he has a full death plaque.

He said: “But over time medals get split up and go to different family members so to have a death plaque still intact is quite unusual."

Wayne’s collection, which features the medals of 13 different soldiers from the area, tells the tales of the men who went off to fight.

It includes one of the first soldiers in the area who was called up to fight in 1914 and lived in Burbage but worked in Buxton so his name appears on both war memorials.

Wayne said: “If I can make contact with any surviving family members that would be great.

“I am looking to sell my collection on, not for profit just what I paid for it, as I don’t want anyone to get them for free then make a quick buck.

"I want them to be kept and treasured.

"I am not the owner of these medals, I am just the custodian.

"I just want the stories of those who gave their lives for us to live on.”

Anyone who wants to buy the medal collection should contact Wayne via email on [email protected].

“In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together.” – Louise Cooper, editor.