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West Malling war veteran David Cameron reunited with beret lost on Remembrance Sunday

A family has thanked social media for reuniting their war veteran father with a sentimental item lost on Remembrance Sunday.

David Cameron served for four years in the Parachute Regiment at the end of the Second World War, and has become well known in West Malling for being a collector for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Often spotted outside Tesco in the High Street, the 91-year-old always wears his red beret while collecting, and is one of the region’s biggest fundraisers, raising more than £11,000 in the past seven years.

David with his grand-daughter Lia collecting for the Poppy Appeal in West Malling
David with his grand-daughter Lia collecting for the Poppy Appeal in West Malling

Last year, he was presented with a certificate from the Royal British Legion for his dedication to volunteering for the charity.

He has also been a regular at the remembrance parade past the cenotaph in London, with his son-in-law Aldo Diana, who served in the Royal Marines.

This year he chose to stay local, and attended services in West Malling.

Sadly however as the father of six and grandfather of 10 was walking from a church service to his daughter Lily’s house in Ryarsh Lane, his beret went missing.

The Leybourne resident was left without it when he returned to the town centre for the remembrance parade that afternoon.

David Cameron when he served in the Parachute Regiment
David Cameron when he served in the Parachute Regiment

Dawn Diana, another of Mr Cameron’s daughters, explained: "We really wanted to find the beret, not because it’s worth anything but because it has great sentimental value to my dad.

"Lily put up some posters around West Malling to try to find it, and we posted on Facebook to see if people recognised it, in hopes it could be found.

"You always hear people moaning about young people always being on their phone, and you hear about the dangers of social media, but this really worked, and dad’s beret was soon handed in to the vicarage."

The Facebook post was shared hundreds of times, meaning the 91-year-old could be reunited with his beret today.

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