Afghanistan war hero's plea after losing medal in Doncaster on Remembrance Sunday

Former Lance Bombardier Mark Bennett was in town for the annual service of remembrance at the War Memorial and parade through the town centre on Sunday when he lost his Afghanistan operational service medal (OSM).

Sharing a plea for the safe return of the medal on Facebook, he wrote: “In Doncaster town centre yesterday my OSM medal fell off my blazer without realising.

"If anyone finds it or found it – it says Gnr Bennett around the edge - please let me know thank you.”

The medal was awarded by the Ministry of Defence in support of the post-2001 Afghan War.

The Operational Service Medal was established in 1999 to replace the General Service Medal (1962) for all new operations. A separate medal of the same design is awarded for each campaign, differentiated by a distinct ribbon.

The medal is silver and shows the crowned effigy of Elizabeth II with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF..

The reverse bears the Union Flag, surrounded by the inscription FOR OPERATIONAL SERVICE and the four major points of the compass with, between the points, four Coronets: Royal (top left), Naval (Navy, top right), Mural (Army, bottom left), and Astral (Royal Air Force, bottom right).

The ribbon consists of a broad central red stripe, flanked each side by a stripe of navy blue and one of light blue, to represent the three services, with an outer stripe of light brown, to represent the Afghan landscape.