Lost coin of Canadian World War Two pilot killed in Wales reunited with family 80 years on
The coin of a World War Two pilot who was killed during a fatal crash in Wales has been reunited with his family - 80 years later and 3,000 miles away from where it was discovered.
Royal Canadian Airforce pilot Ivan Trafford died when his Spitfire crashed during training over Caerphilly Mountain on 7 November 1941.
A Canadian quarter dated 1939 - which could have been his lucky charm - was discovered buried in the ground years later.
Eight decades on, the coin has been returned to the war hero's family who had been left with few reminders of him.
Ivan had travelled to Wales aged 20 to help in the effort to defeat Hitler but never saw his home again.
The young airman had been training at RAF Llandow and buried in Llantwit Major cemetery.
Filmmaker Chris Lloyd recently made a film about the crash, which was seen by a local historian who knew a Canadian coin had been found near the crash site in the 1980s.
Ian Hodgkiss then tracked down the metal detectorist who had uncovered the Canadian quarter on the mountain.
Together they got in touch with Ivan's nephew in Canada, David Trafford, and posted the coin to him earlier this year.
Chris said he never imagined the story would come full circle back to Canada thanks to his film.
"This coin is a little bit of home the pilot took with him. We have all done that. Taken a reminder of home away with us.
"It's such a human story and such a tragedy. The coin was probably in Ivan's pocket when he crashed."
He described what it meant to the family to receive the coin: "The family were so thankful because they don't have any physical effects of Ivan's.
"Social media and the internet get demonised but it does have potential to connect people like it has here."
Speaking to Canada's CBC, David Trafford, from New Brunswick, said: "When the coin came and I held it in my hand it was an emotional thing that came over me. It's inexplicable really. It really is.
"Perhaps he carried that coin with him as a little reminder of Canada, you know, and that it was with him that day."
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