A woman from Cornwall said she was stunned to discover her late father’s Rolex watch – which had been missing for years – had been unearthed by a treasure hunter more than 250 miles away.
Dean Hunter found the silver watch while metal detecting up near Birmingham. He discovered buried beneath the soil in a field near Solihull.
It bears the inscription: "Derek V Palmer, 1818023. 90 Brooklands Road, Hall Green, Birmingham."
There was also a serial number for the watch, which dates it to 1938 or 1939.
Dean began some detective work to trace Derek Palmer’s family, which led him to believe he had since lived in Cornwall since the 1950s. Records revealed Mr Palmer had passed away in 2012.
Dean got in touch with his local news website Birmingham Live, which published an article that was picked up here in Cornwall.
Sue Hicks, who lives in Cornwall, contacted Dean to say the watch belonged to her father.
She said: "My late father was Derrick Victor Palmer and I am the eldest of three daughters.
"My parents lived in Launceston, and before he retired, my father worked with a company called Herdwise and often visited Yorkshire.
"He passed away in 2012, but my mother is still alive but sadly suffers from dementia.
"Dad had in fact owned a Rolex watch, which I believe was an Oyster, and after he died we wondered what had happened to it - maybe we now know!"
Ms Hicks said her dad was in the RAF and trained as a pilot with the British Flying Training School in Texas and was still over there when the war ended.
Dean said he was now in contact with Ms Hicks to arrange getting the watch to her.
He said: "I'm so chuffed - all I wanted to do was find some of Derek's descendants so I can return it to them as a nice heirloom."
He said he was also curious as to how an Army Rolex got to be buried in a field in Earlswood.
