This story revolves around my grandmother in-law’s late husband, Ray. About fifty years ago, while gardening on a cold day, he lost his wedding ring. His hands were cold, he shook them, and the ring flew off somewhere into the garden, never to be seen again. His wife, Mary, always believed it was still out there and never gave up searching for it while tending to the garden over the years.
This year, after the ground had thawed, I suggested giving it a go with my metal detector. There were a few challenges – some soil had been removed due to landscaping, and in the years since losing the ring, Ray had planted a walnut tree, which now dominates much of the garden. His ashes are also buried beneath it, making the search even more meaningful. At first, I had to battle through about forty strong aluminium signals – it turned out that when the house was built, the workmen had their tea breaks right there, leaving behind old milk bottle lids! Only after clearing those could I focus on signals that stood out as more promising.
After stopping for lunch with Mary – a bacon sarnie and a pot of tea, during which she shared more lovely stories about Ray – I returned to detecting with even more determination. Not long after, I got a promising signal about 4–5 inches down. Under the walnut tree, the very tree that Ray had planted. Over the years, the tree’s roots had pushed the ring deeper into the ground. Carefully, I extracted the ring and brought it straight to Mary, deliberately leaving it in a clump of mud so she could have the moment of revealing it herself after all these years.
There were tears, hugs and endless gratitude. Now, the ring rests at the base of a photo of Ray and Mary on their wedding day. Mary exclaimed that she’s so happy the ring is home – that it makes her feel whole again. My first silver hammered coin was found with my dad, and my first gold find was this ring. I feel
incredibly fortunate to have such meaningful memories tied to my finds, and it makes metal detecting even more special!
This wonderful story was sent to us by Benjamin Lawrence.
