MEDALS and other memorabilia were stolen from Malvern College’s Memorial Library last week.

The library in College Road was broken into between 11pm on Friday, March 28 and 8.15am on Saturday, March 29

Three medals – some more than 100 years old – were taken from a display cabinet in the building, one of the college’s memorials to its pupils who were lost in the First World War.

Medals stolen include one dating back to 1868 marking the college’s first-ever house football competition, a Kariba Medallion presented by the Kariba Federal Power Board to mark the opening of the Kariba Dam between Zambia and Zimbabwe in 1960, a boxing belt awarded to J Chaters in 1879 and an Amateur Football Competition senior cup for the 1910-1911 season won by the Old Malvernian XI.

A silver cross worn by the team’s football captain in 1873 was also stolen along with a key given to Sir Godfrey Hughes in 1953 to mark to opening of St Joseph’s Home for Boys in 1953, a medallion given to G H Huggins in 1919-1920 by the Sons of England Society and an insignia of the Sons of England, blue degree.

PC Ian Doidge of West Mercia Police said: “The medals and other items of memorabilia are of immense sentimental value, indeed, they are irreplaceable. They include war medals and medals awarded to past pupils at the College for their achievements.”

Pupils were not on site at the time of the break-in.

A glass door was broken and an internal door was damaged during the burglary, during which a safe was also broken into, but it is not thought anything was stolen from it.

Pictures of the stolen items have not yet been released.

Anyone with any information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 145-s-290314.

Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.