One of the last actions of the Royal Navy’s dedicated medal office has been to help replace the lost decorations of a World War I veteran who – unusually – saw action at both Jutland and The Somme.

A member of the public spotted that 108-year-old Henry Allingham’s medals were pinned to his jacket in a haphazard fashion when he featured on a BBC News report during a wreath-laying ceremony.

The man contacted the RN Medal Office, and investigations revealed that Mr Allingham’s Great War medals had been lost in the Blitz during World War II, and the ones he was sporting had been borrowed.

With the help of the BBC and the Royal British Legion, the office tracked down Mr Allingham, who served in the RN Air Service before joining the nascent RAF in April 1918.

While in the Senior Service Mr Allingham serviced aircraft and acted as a spotter for submarines and mines during the Battle of Jutland. He was also a spotter on the Somme.

His records were retrieved from the National Archives at Kew and his entitlements confirmed – one of the last acts of the RN Medal Office, which has now moved to RAF Innsworth to form part of a new tri-Service organisation.

The new tri-Service Ministry of Defence Medal Office was officially opened by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans, Ivor Caplin, at the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency (AFPAA) base at RAF Innsworth.

The centre is the latest in a range of measures introduced in a bid to revolutionise the way medals are issued and to speed up delivery.

This significant investment in personnel, laser-cutting and computer technology has already led to a substantial reduction in the historic backlog of medals and underlines the priority MOD attaches to the prompt delivery of medals to veterans, their relatives and serving personnel, according to the MOD.

Mr Caplin said: " By opening this state-of-the-art new facility we will transform the MOD's medals-issuing process.

"The more efficient assessment and prompt delivery of medals to service people, veterans and their families is a priority for MOD – this new investment underlines that commitment."

The new contact address is MOD Medal Office (MODMO), AFPAA, Building 250, RAF Innsworth, Gloucester, GL3 1HW.