‘Are you kidding?!’ Antiques Roadshow guest can’t believe how much his late father’s WWII medals are worth
An Antiques Roadshow guest was momentarily speechless after learning how much his late father’s World War II medals were worth.
He presented the unique set of medals to expert Mark Smith on Sunday’s episode of the show, which was filmed at the magnificent Powis Castle in Wales.
The guest, himself an Antarctic explorer and climate change researcher, explained that they belonged to his late father Kevin Walton, who passed away some 13 years ago.
Included in the set was an Albert Medal (which became the George’s Cross in 1971), a highly prestigious award for bravery, and an Antarctic Exploration Medal which also received the Queen’s Commendation for its brave conduct.
A Distinguished Service Cross and an Island of Malta Medal were also on display.
Shock: A guest on Sunday’s episode of Antiques Roadshow, filmed at Powis Castle in Wales, couldn’t believe the true value of his father’s World War II medals.
Amazing: Kevin Walton won an Albert Medal, an Antarctic Exploration Medal and a Distinguished Service Cross, among many others
Mark also saw another medal, which the guest himself had won for Antarctic exploration after following in his father’s footsteps.
The guest believed they were the only father-son duo to have the polar medal when they were awarded it in May 1986.
Even Mark was stunned to see the collection, exclaiming, “You don’t see medal sets like this.”
But even though he already knew the emotional value of his father’s bravery, the guest was shocked to discover the true cost of the medals.
The set featured on the show were Kevin’s medals, and the real ones are kept at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.
Mark said: ‘Well that’s quite wise because I think if we had the big ones here today I would tell you they were worth £40,000.
The guest was speechless for a second before shakily asking, ‘What’s worth it?’
Mark then pointed to the Antarctic Exploration Medal and said, “That’s worth £10,000.”
Emotional: The proud son, who is also an Antarctic explorer, was thrilled when the royal medals were valued at £40,000
Value: Even expert Mark Smith was in awe of the collection, telling the guest “you don’t see medal sets like this.”
Unbelievable: Kevin won the Albert Medal after rescuing a friend from a 50ft crevasse in Antarctica
Rare: Both father and son explored Antarctica and earned medals after the guest followed in his father’s footsteps.
The proud son was clearly very emotional and covered his mouth with his hand in shock, asking, ‘Are you kidding me?’ to which Mark just smiled and said ‘no’.
“Ok, that has shaken me,” the guest admitted.
Kevin Walton was an engineer lieutenant on the destroyers of the war.
Describing his dad, the guest said: ‘He was my dad. I’m drowning now. He passed away about 13 years ago. A remarkable man. A very brave man.
He continued later on the show: ‘He didn’t talk about himself much. He was modest. But my God, he was a man of action.
He went on to describe how his father won the Albert Medal while sledding in Antarctica on an expedition.
The team was out the day your friend fell through a 50-foot crevasse.
His father immediately volunteered to come down and worked hard for five hours while dangling by his legs to get his friend out. He later thought no more about it, but won the medal for sheer bravery from him.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure meeting two explorers,” said Mark, as he closed the show.
Emotional day: The guest said his father was a ‘remarkable man’ and was surprised to learn the value of his medals.
In the family: When the son received his own medal in 1986, he believed they were the only father-and-son duo to both have polar medals.