Joseph L. Gray’s dog tag from WWII – SWNS

The dog tag ID belonging to a fallen World War II soldier has been returned to his family 80 years after his death.

Joseph L. Gray was one of 31 servicemen who died in April 1945 when their plane, a B-17 Flying Fortress, crashed into a hill on the Isle of Man.

In 2010, around 65 years later, the Philadelphia soldier’s dog tags were unearthed by a metal detector and handed over to the Manx Aviation and Military Museum on the UK island.

It wasn’t until the great nephew of another soldier who died in the crash—Donald Madar, a friend of the museum—saw the tag this year and said he knew a relative of Gray’s through a Facebook group he runs.

Eight decades on, he returned the “prized possession”, taking it back where he said it belongs—to the technical sergeant’s great niece Bridgette Daily.

“It was a wonderful moment handing the tag over,” Donald told SWNS news agency.

“I could see the emotion rush into her. Her eyes began to tear up. I could tell it was so important for her family that they took possession of a piece of their history.”

Donald, also from Pennsylvania, had been researching the deadly accident of his ancestor for the last 20 years. In April of this year, the 63-year-old travelled from his home to the Isle to visit the crash site to commemorate its 80th anniversary.

While there, he met up with historian Ivor Ramsden from the Manx Museum who handed over the dog tag for him to return, alongside a personal note.

Historian Ivor Ramsden (left) handing over the tag to Donald Madar – SWNS

Donald recalled how he was only able to return the tag because Clare Quinn—another great niece of Gray’s—reached out to him during the pandemic in 2020 using the Facebook group he runs about the crash entitled ‘Isle of Man – 80th Anniversary’.

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“She had asked about Joseph and told us all about him in a post she uploaded.

WWII soldier Joseph L. Gray in 1944 – SWNS

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“When I was visiting (the Isle of Man) and holding the tag, something stuck out about the name and I remembered the post she had written five years ago.”

He then reached out to her and hatched a plan to return it to the family through her sister.

When he returned to America, he drove 40 minutes to meet Bridgette last month at a restaurant—and surprised her with the letter and tag.

“She had come with her husband. We sat down and talked about the event, the history, and, of course, Joseph.

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

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