A GRIEVING woman has pleaded with thieves to return stolen jewellery and First World War medals belonging to her recently deceased mother.

Margaret Lane, 48, collected the valuables after her mother Nora Thompson, 81, died two months ago, and took them to her home in Leigh Cliff Road, Leigh.

But thieves got into the house and stole a bag containing the items.

Among them were war medals that her uncles had won for bravery, including two First World War medals, a British military medal and the Croix de Guerre, a French military medal.

Mrs Lane said: “I couldn’t face unpacking it because it was so final. But now I’ll never see those pieces again. The insurance company could give me £1million, but I can’t buy back what I have lost.

“I don’t want money, I don’t want new jewellery, all I want is the old things back because they meant so much to my family.”

Thieves also stole her father’s gold watch with a brown leather strap, inscribed with his name Samuel Thompson on the back and a string of pearls with a jewelled clasp.

Mrs Thompson, who was blind, died of a blood clot two days after a minor operation on cataracts in her eyes, so she could regain part of her sight.

Mrs Lane said: “Mum died unexpectedly and I didn’t want to leave her valuables in an empty house, so I put them in this bag.

“Everything else she owned has been donated to charity shops, so this is literally all I had left of her.

“I couldn’t face unpacking the bag and I couldn’t bear to look in her handbag, until I felt strong enough.

“Now someone has robbed me of the few things I had left to remember her by.”

The total value of everything stolen was £1,000 and included a small amount of cash, credit cards, cosmetics, a gold engagement ring with three diamonds, two brooches, a woman’s gold Rotary watch and other pieces of jewellery, as well as the medals.

Call investigating officers at Leigh on 0300 3334444.