Glenn Furniss of Napier had his father's WWII and Korean War medals stolen during a burglary in 2024; some have now been returned with the help of police and voluntary organisation Medals Reunited New Zealand (MRNZ).
Glenn Furniss of Napier had his father's WWII and Korean War medals stolen during a burglary in 2024; some have now been returned with the help of police and voluntary organisation Medals Reunited New Zealand (MRNZ).
Stolen war medals dropped by burglars in Napier have been returned to the recipient’s family thanks to police and the voluntary organisation Medals Reunited New Zealand (MRNZ).
The World War II and Korean War medals belonged to Gunner Alfred Henry Furniss, a Kiwi artillery soldier who served during WWII withthe 2nd NZ Division’s 16th Field Regiment in Egypt and Italy and later served with the same regiment as a signals troop NCO in the Korean War.
The six medals were stolen when burglars cleaned out the Nelson Cres home of Alfred’s son Glenn in 2024.
“We got home, and it was like open the door, and they emptied every drawer, every closet ... took everything ... they had lamps and rugs, and everything rolled up ready at the back door for the second load,” Glenn Furniss said.
“They took a lot of my clothes, all the tech stuff, the TVs, went right through the garage, bikes, surfboards, skateboards, tools, you name it, it was like a clean out, and they had plenty of time to go through everything.”
Voluntary organisation Medals Reunited New Zealand (MRNZ) returns found, pre-owned, and anonymously donated medals to families or their descendants.
A police spokeswoman said it’s believed the medals were dropped during the getaway, because they were found soon after not far from where they were stolen.
They were handed in to the Hastings Police Station late in 2025, severely damaged after being run over by numerous vehicles.
The police spokeswoman said police then contacted Medals Reunited New Zealand, a voluntary organisation of former career military personnel dedicated to returning found, pre-owned, and anonymously donated medals to families or their descendants.
The MRNZ team got to work, and with two of the medals named with an inscription, they were able to locate Furniss and let him know the news.
Furniss said he hadn’t even realised they were missing.
“A lot of stuff, the medals being one of those things that were out of sight, out of mind.”
He later learned the medals had been found on Latham St, and despite their “mangled” condition, said he was pleased to have them back.
“He was obviously proud of the medals, and it was a nice thing that it didn’t happen while he was around, but he was not one for living in the past either.”
Glenn Furniss said he was glad the medals hadn't been stolen while his father was alive.
He said two medals were still missing, but he was impressed at the work of MRNZ, which uncovered further information about his father, and revealed he was entitled to three more medals.
“What he put together, and the story of his war service and being in the battle of Cassino and other major events people know about, and going to Korea, and some family information, was like ‘wow, really’.”
Despite his father being a “doer and not a talker”, Furniss had grown up with stories from his wartime experiences that focused on the social aspects.
“While they were in Italy and in between fighting, one [story] was they had taken a water tanker to a local vineyard and dumped the water and filled it up with as much wine as they could.
“The camaraderie was what he remembered and [he]chose not to remember the darker side, but there was plenty of action in there as well.”
Furniss said he was working with MRNZ to replace the missing and damaged medals.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
