A First World War victory medal has been handed to its rightful owner nine years after it was uncovered in Castletown.

Neil Tom Whybrew, who lives in Peel, was presented with his grandfather Tom Steward Cubbon’s medal last week along with family members at a Manx Detectorist Society meeting held in the Manx Legion in Peel.

The campaign medal was discovered in 2009 by Ronnie Clucas of Port St Mary while metal detecting on the fields near the Witches’ Mill in Castletown.

On careful examination of the medal, which was in very poor condition, Ronnie was able to identify the figures ’108643 SPR T.S.Cubbon R.E’.

After an investigation, it was found that Tom Stewart Cubbon, who was part of the Royal Engineers and latterly conductor of the Castletown Metropolitan band before he died in 1960, was the recipient of the medal.

Curator at the Manx Museum Matthew Richardson then took up the challenge of finding Mr Cubbon’s relatives by tracing his family tree, which led to Neil Whybrew.

Using the internet, the Manx Detectorist Society found a Neil Whybrew on the Onchan electorial register, but the search came to a near stop after he was found to be no longer on the register during a visit to the Onchan Commissioners.

However, a member of the society found a ’Neil Tom Whybrew’ in an online newspaper article.

With the help of the police, they managed to get in contact with him nine years after the medal was detected in Castletown to pass on his grandfather’s medal.

Further research revealed that Tom Cubbon had also received the British Medal, but its whereabouts is unknown.

Why his Victory medal was found in the middle of a field still remains a mystery.

A spokesman from the society said: ’A number of recipients of campaign medals after WWI threw their medals away at the poor treatment they received on their home coming.

’It is not known whether Tom threw his away or whether it was a casual loss.

’I believe the Witches Mill fields may have been used for the disposal of waste from Castletown so both reasons for the loss are plausible,’ he added.