A man has been reunited with his father’s First World War medal 77 years after he lost it on Brighton beach.

Ben Eggleston was on a day trip to Brighton in August 1939 when his dad’s precious medal fell out of his pocket.

The medal had been given to him to remember his father, who had died from lung disease due to gas in the trenches.

Five years old at the time, Mr Eggleston had carried it everywhere and was devastated by the loss.

Now 82, his lifelong search has finally come to an end.

He couldn’t believe his eyes when an eBay auction came up for the medal with his dad’s name, Sergeant Stephen Eggleston, inscribed on the back.

He was reunited with it following a tense bout of bidding online and a journey from his Norfolk home to pick it up.

Mr Eggleston said: “After all these years of wondering what had happened to it, we just sat there in amazement looking at the screen, hardly daring to believe what we were seeing.”

Sgt Eggleston is believed to have been part of the first British infantry unit to fire on the Germans in what became known as the Battle of Mons on August 14, 1914.

Soldiers were awarded the 1914 Star, known as the Mons Star medal.

Mr Eggleston said: “It seems incredibly poignant that it should turn up now, on the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, so close to Remembrance Day and at my age in life.”

It will now join Sgt Eggleston’s Meritorious Service Medal and his Military Medal, which were both awarded for bravery during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

What happened to the Mons medal after 1939 remains a mystery, though it was owned by its most recent owner for more than 30 years.

Mr Eggleston added: “I am delighted it is now back with our family as it serves as an emblem of my father’s heroism, and of the many hundreds of thousands of men who lost their lives or were injured in this terrible conflict.”

Jane Bulmer, 55, daughter of Mr Eggleston and granddaughter of Sgt Eggleston, lived in Kent for much of her youth and visited Brighton often.

She said: “We had some lovely day trips there but you always had one eye on the beach – just in case.”