Rye man reunited with father’s World War Two documents

A man has been reunited with World War Two documents that belonged to his father after they were found in a desk 18 years after he died.

Martin Reid, from Lanark in Scotland, bought the desk at auction four years ago and recently discovered the folder behind a drawer that had been stuck.

The documents had belonged to the late Ian Rodger, from Glasgow, who served in the signal regiment and fought in Italy and Tunisia during the war.

His son Sandy Rodger said: “It’s a proud and detailed account of an extraordinary endeavour, told by a young man who, with the benefit of hindsight, survived and could be said to have had a ‘good war’.”

Mr Rodger was made aware of his father’s documents, that included photographs, letters and maps, following an appeal for information made through the Church of Scotland.

He travelled from his home in Rye in East Sussex to Edinburgh to meet Mr Reid and collect the folder.

Mr Rodger said he had a collection of his father’s old papers and letters from the war but had never seen the contents of the folder before.

The 62-year-old explained that in 2021 he cleared out his mother’s flat and must have missed the documents that fell behind a desk drawer.

Mr Reid bought the desk for £110 and used it regularly at his home over the years, not knowing the historic papers were hidden inside until he found them in March.

“Sandy is a lovely guy and very proud of his father and it was very moving seeing his reaction as he leafed through the folder and shared anecdotes,” he said.

Additional reporting from PA Media.