David Prendergast 1929 is he yours?

[Sandra Parker]

A fob watch presented to a heroic policeman for rescuing two men from the River Mersey situated in northeast England, has turned up in a pile of stolen property in the Northern Territory, Australia. Police are now trying to contact the officer's family.
The US-made watch was found amid loot in Alice Springs and there is no way of finding out where it was stolen from.

A British newspaper reported the rescue on June 10, 1929.
Under the heading Policeman's Full-dress Dive to Rescue Two Men, it said:
"A Wallasey policeman named David Prendergast dived fully dressed into the River Mersey yesterday to the rescue of two young men who were trying to swim ashore from a sinking canvas canoe.
"It was near high tide at the time, and the river was rather rough, and it was with some difficulty that all men were rescued by lifebelts and a small boat manned by a fisherman."
The article said all three were taken to hospital but PC Prendergast was allowed home after treatment.

If Constable David Prendergast is yours, you should contact the NT Police,
Police Headquarters
PO Box 39764
Winnellie NT 0821
or their Facebook page Northern Territory Police Force | Facebook


Sandra

[Waitabit]

Nice one Sandra, let's hope someone knows of him or at least knows someone who may have been travelling & lost the watch-or pinched it!

Travellers may have thought it impossible to find the taker or the taken & so not reported it, perhaps it wan't missed beforethey moved on.

let's hope the watch is returned to rightful owners.

[Waitabit]

Sandra, it would seem that the goodly folk of L&SWLG forum have found the Family of David Prendergast.
Thank you for bringing it to the attention of the people.
More later.

[BayHorse]

The power of the internet! How lovely to think that it will be heading back, hopefully, to its rightful home.

[Sandra Parker]

This is from an NT Newspaper yesterday.

Sandra
THE owner of a watch presented to a heroic policeman on the other side of the world more than 80 years ago has been found.

School teacher Steve Smith was shocked to read the Centralian Advocate story of how the watch had been discovered in a swag of stolen goods.

"I picked up the paper and staring back at me was my watch," he said.

It had been stolen from his house in Alice Springs more than two years ago.

"At first, I hoped I would get it back but as time went on I gave up," he said.

The US-made Waltham watch was awarded to his great grandfather, Constable David Prendergast, for rescuing two men from the River Mersey in northwest England in 1929.

Mr Smith had been given the prized watch by his father and intends to pass it down to his son Seamus.

He emigrated from Britain more than 20 years ago and works as a special education and mathematics teacher at Centralian College.

He and partner Jennifer Buckley have four children.

[spison]

Aww! Nice stories! These I like!
Jane

[Waitabit]

Thanks for posting this Sandra.

[Waitabit]

Sandra, it would seem that the goodly folk of L&SWLG forum have found the Family of David Prendergast.
Thank you for bringing it to the attention of the people.More later.

The Family mentioned here have now connected to the Family of the chap in N.T. more branch leaves unfurled. Good news all around.

[Sandra Parker]

So pleased. Just shows the value of forums and the folk on them - and all free!

Sandra whose spectacled aura is equally chuffed at the link.

[Dsprendergast]

Would Steve Smith please contact me as I believe David Prendergast was my uncle. My email is dsprendergastATeircomDOTnet