WWII hero's special memento finally comes home to his family after 80 years

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A World War II soldier’s dog tag has finally been returned to his family, 80 years after his death.

Technical Sergeant Joseph L. Gray was one of 31 U.S. servicemen who tragically died on April 23, 1945, when the group’s B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into a mountain on the Isle of Man.

The plane never reached its destination after taking off from an airbase in England during World War II, news agency SWNS reported.

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The tragedy remains the deadliest aviation disaster in the island’s history, the same source noted.

In 2010, a local metal detectorist discovered Gray’s dog tag. The detectorist turned it over to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum, where it was kept safe for years.

The tag’s return only became possible when Donald Madar, whose great-uncle also died in the crash, made a personal pilgrimage to the crash site this April from his home in Pennsylvania.

Madar had been connected to Gray’s family since 2020, when Gray’s great-niece, Clare Quinn, reached out to him through a Facebook group about the crash.

“Something stuck out about the name.”

“When I was visiting and holding the tag, something stuck out about the name and I remembered the post she had written five years ago,” Madar recalled. “She asked about Joseph and told us all about him in a post she uploaded,” he added, referring to Clare Quinn.

“I then reached out to her. That was where we came up with the plan to return it home through her sister,” Madar said.

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While on the Isle of Man, Madar met with a museum historian, Ivor Ramsden, who handed him the tag along with a personal letter to deliver to Gray’s family.

The final handoff took place on May 7, when Madar drove 40 minutes to the Brickville House Restaurant in Pennsylvania.

Joseph L Gray. Photo released June 10 2025. The dog tag of a fallen World War Two soldier has been returned to his family 80 years after his death. Joseph L Gray was one of 31 men who died on April 23 1945 when his plane - a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress - crashed on North Barrule, a hill in the Isle of Man. The plane was set to take the servicemen to Belfast from their base in Ridgewell, Essex, yet it never reached its destination - the crash is the deadliest aviation incident in the history of the island. In 2010, around 65 years later, Gray's dog tags were unearthed by a local detectorist called James Ireland and handed over to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum who kept them safe.

“I could see the emotion rush into her – her eyes began to tear up,” Madar said about the moment he passed the tag to Bridgette Daily, Clare Quinn’s sister.

“I could tell it was so important for her family that they took possession of a piece of their history,” Madar said.

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“It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining,” he recalled.

“We went in blind as we hadn’t shared images of each other as we were talking over email,” said Madar.

“We sat down and talked about the event, the history, and of course, Joseph,” he said.

“It was great to get to know him through her stories.”