TWO sets of historic military medals have finally been reunited with their Clacton owner after eight years.

The Second World War and Boer War medals had been taken into into Framewerks Picture Framing, when it was based at Colchester’s Cowdray Centre.

But the records of who they belonged to were destroyed when a huge fire ripped through the centre in 2006.

Along with the medals was the name HW Reid, a photograph and an address.

Sheila Bosanquet- Bryant’s nephew saw an article about the medals and realised they might belong to her.

Sheila, 72, of Clacton, said: “One of my nephews phoned me and said ‘Greatgrandad is in the paper’.

“In the paper, it said whoever had taken them into Framewerks was a driving instructor.

“The only one in our family is my son Ian. I phoned him up and asked if he had he put some medals in the Framewerks place to be framed.

“He said ‘Yes, but there was a big fire there and they lost them’.”

The medals have been kept safely tucked away by the business, which moved after the fire and is now based on Severalls Business Park, Colchester.

Sheila contacted the centre and was able to prove she was Harry Reid’s daughter – the man named with the medals.

The great-grandmother of three believes the four Second World War medals were awarded to her father, but said she did not know why.

One of the medals was awarded during the Boer War in South Africa, for service in 1901 and 1902.

Sheila thinks it belonged to her great-great-grandfather. The photograph showed a man with horses who may be her great-grandfather.

She now plans to display the medals on the wall at home.