First World War medals returned to Yarmouth County hometown

The medals of a First World War veteran have been returned to his home village in Yarmouth County, N.S.

An American, Gary Wolf of Oregon, bought the medals, which belonged to the late Pte. Lucien Eldridge d'Entremont, through the online auction site, eBay, for $60.

The American's retirement hobby is to take war medals out of the commercial trade by tracing their roots to the soldier's hometown, said Bernice d'Entremont, director of the Pubnico Acadian Museum.

Soldier remembered

Through his research, Wolf found West Pubnico, N.S., where the soldier's relatives still live.

"It's very exciting," the programming director said.

"People from the West Pubnico area still remember him. There are stories of what he did, where he was."

'Great honour for me'

The medals will be on display at the museum, revealed Thursday with a ceremony. They, along with supporting documentation, will be available for the public to view and for researchers.

"It's a great honour for me," said Father Maurice LeBlanc, whose mother is d'Entremont's first cousin.

D'Entremont returned home from the war, and went on to teach a course for soldiers at the Universite Sainte Anne, where LeBlanc also met him.

D'Entremont died in 1980. His childhood home is still standing.

'Heartwarming' return

The Royal Canadian Legion is welcoming the return of the medals, which Branch 66 president Jean-Bernard d'Entremont said will help genealogists, too. He donated his own brother's medals and burial flag to the museum, as well.

"These medals have come back to his native land, his native village where he grew up as a boy," he said.

"It's heartwarming that these are not floating around as they were in Oregon or anywhere else in the world."

The museum has not yet determined why d'Entremont received these medals.