1934 Nobel Peace Prize Stolen From House In England

<p>NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND (BNO NEWS) -- Thieves in northeastern England have stolen a gold Nobel Peace Prize medal that was awarded to British politician Arthur Henderson in the 1930s, police said on Wednesday. A lock of hair from a 17 and 18th century admiral was also taken during the burglary.

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<p>The medal and other items were stolen late Monday or early Tuesday when thieves broke into a house in Jesmond, a residential suburb north of Newcastle in northeast England. The Mansion House is used by Councillor Jackie Slesenger, the current Lord Mayor of Newcastle, but she does not live at the property.

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<p>Newcastle Temporary Superintendent Bruce Storey said the thieves are believed to have broken in through the cellar of the property before searching the rest of the house. He said they took a number of items which are thought to be worth more than 150,000 pounds ($227,000).

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<p>Among the items is a gold Nobel Peace Prize medal that was awarded in 1934 to British Labour Party politician Arthur Henderson for his work on international disarmament. He served as Foreign Secretary from June 1929 until August 1931 and brought about Britain's resumption of diplomatic relations with Russia, furthered the cause of Egyptian independence and attended Assemblies of the League of Nations where he became the embodiment of the League's disarmament effort.

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<p>"Some of the items taken in this burglary are very uncommon and we are asking the public to keep their eyes open for them," Storey said. "The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 93 times to 124 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2012 and so the stolen item is extremely rare, recognizable and historically important."

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<p>Also stolen was a lock of hair from Newcastle-born Admiral Lord Collingwood, who famously led a British fleet in a victory over the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. "Anyone with information about the burglary, or with information about the location of any of the items taken, is asked to contact police," Storey added.

</p> <p> (Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].) </p>