Victoria school tries to track down family of man who earned this WW I medal

A Victoria school has taken on an unconventional homework assignment this Remembrance Day — students and staff are trying to track down the family of a man who earned a medal of honour in the First World War.

Trudy Court, a library assistant at the Belmont Secondary School's Library Learning Commons, said the medal was found by a man who scraps cars who reached out to the school for help.

The victory medal is from from the Great War, which began in 1914, and belonged to George Alexander Doty.

The name and initials "Private G. A. Doty" are marked on the edge of the medal along his regiment number, and an indication that he was with the 49th Canadian Infantry.

What they know so far

So far, students and a teacher at the school have been able to track down Doty's service record and census information.

His mother, Sarah Doty, died in Penticton in 1940.

George Alexander Doty passed away on Dec. 22, 1948, and is believed to be buried at a cemetery in Vancouver.

"I think if his descendants were to receive it it would just really resonate to them that … years later people still care, and that the role that that person played was important not just to them, but to generations since then," said Court.

"I"m very excited [about] the opportunity that we may be able to contact somebody and let them know that we have found such an important piece of World War I history, and that we cared enough to track them down and return it to them."

Anyone with information about the medal is asked to please contact Trudy Court at tcourt@sd62.bc.ca.