A military mission of a different kind, to reunite a World War One medal with its whānau.

The British War medal was found dropped on the ground in a car park at Ohope Beach in Whakatāne just after Anzac Day in April.

Whakatāne man Sandy Milne picked it up and has been looking for its owner ever since.

He has tried the RSA, the local community and police - but it has all been a dead end.

Milne told Checkpoint he saw the medal in the middle of the car park walking down the hill to Ohope Beach.

"When I picked it up and started reading the number and the fact that the guy was a rifleman, in the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, with the last name Hay I went to the police," he said.

The medal is silver and has King George the 5th on it, he said.

"With a thing like this it only motivates me to try harder, so if anyone know who the relatives of this gentleman are, I'd be very happy to hand it over," he said.

He said he thinks it belongs to someone from Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki, Tauranga or Rotorua.

"I went into the RSA in Whakatāne and they referred me to the police and they couldn't help they wanted the medal but I said no I want to find who it belongs to.

"But the police are really busy and so there I went knocking on doors of people called Hay, and there's a few in Whakatāne."

Frank Victor Hay died at the age of 21. Photo supplied.

Milne said he thinks the man who earned the medal probably died 50, 60 or even 70 years ago.

"If I was his son or grandson, I'd like to keep it," he said.

"If you know a person called Hay, I'm your man."

Checkpoint has managed to find out more about the recipient of the medal - thanks to Ian Martyn, the founder of Medals Reunited.

Frank Victor Hay's grave in Belgium. Photo supplied.

It belonged to Frank Victor Hay who was a coach builder from Gisborne. He went off to war as a rifleman in 1915 at the age of 19. He joined the 1st Battalion of the third NZ Rifle brigade and landed in France in 1916.

Hay died on the first day of battle at Messines, on 7 June at the age of 21.

He is buried in Belgium and the medal that Milne found was issued to his family along with the Victory Medal.

If it belongs to you email, Checkpoint and we can connect you.