A wedding ring that went missing on a Dutch farm during World War II has finally returned to its owner’s family after 83 years. The ring belonged to Jo Nabuurs, who lost it while threshing grain behind his family farm in the village of Odiliapeel in the winter of 1942 or 1943. He searched for it at the time but never managed to find it.Nabuurs had married in 1941, just a year or two before losing the ring. Despite his efforts to recover it, the ring remained buried on the farmland for decades. He later passed away without getting it back.According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, now, more than eight decades later, a man searching the area with a metal detector has found the missing ring. He discovered it about 20 centimetres below the ground in Odiliapeel, a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant.The discovery eventually reached Jo Nabuurs’ family through a relative who lives near their former home. After hearing about the find, the relative contacted Jo’s son, Bert Nabuurs, and told him that someone would be visiting him.The man who found the ring then personally brought it back to the family. Bert said he was surprised by the unexpected discovery, especially because the ring had been missing for so long. He also offered the finder a reward, but the man refused to accept any payment.
Son recognises father’s wedding ring
For Bert, the return of the ring brought back memories of his father and the story of how the family had lost the wedding jewellery.He told Dutch broadcaster DTV Nieuws that he had heard about the missing ring from his father. However, he had never seen him wearing it. Since Jo had lost the ring before Bert could remember, he had known his father only without a wedding band on his ring finger.“My father sometimes told me that he had lost his ring,” Bert said, as reported by Dutch broadcaster NOS.Although the ring had spent more than eight decades underground, the family had little difficulty establishing who it belonged to. Its inside carried an engraving of Jo and his wife’s wedding date.This detail confirmed that the ring was the same one Jo had lost while working behind the farm. The engraved date also connected the recovered object directly to his parents’ marriage in 1941.Bert said the family was delighted that the ring had finally been found. His brothers and sisters were particularly happy about its return after so many years. “My brothers and sisters think it’s fantastic that the ring has been found,” he said.Bert also said he had asked whether the man wanted a reward for finding and returning the family heirloom. However, the finder declined the offer. “I thought it was quite unusual. I even asked whether he wanted a reward, but he didn’t.”
Family receives ring in good condition
Apart from the engraved wedding date, the condition of the ring was another detail that pleased the family. Despite spending 83 years buried underground, it had remained in good condition.Bert said the ring had always been kept dry, which helped explain why it had survived so well. “The ring is still in good condition. It has always been kept dry,” he said.The family was happy to have the ring back, even though Jo was no longer alive to see its return. For his children, the discovery brought back an object connected to their parents’ marriage and a story their father had occasionally shared with them.
