THE president of France has given renewed hope to an Oxford man battling to secure the return of his father’s war medals.
Tony Berridge, 64, of Horspath, handed over his father Wilfred’s six Second World War medals to a French woman who promised to put them into the Pegasus Memorial Museum in Normandy.
However, the medals have never been put on display.
Having appealed unsuccessfully to the police and French authorities, Mr Berridge wrote to French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
He received a reply from M Sarkozy’s chief of staff, stating: “He considered your request carefully before passing it to the Minister for Defence and Veterans.”
Mr Berridge said: “It is encouraging and I hope the president’s involvement may help move things forward.”
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