A WW2 veteran whose medals were ripped from his chest by a mugger while paying his respects at his local cenotaph has had them replaced.
96-year-old Jim Marland – a former Private, who served with the Durham Light Infantry Brigade – was at Rochdale Cenotaph prior to Remembrance Day when he was sadly pushed to the ground and robbed of his war medals and other personal belongings.
It was a couple of days before the shaken former soldier felt able to tell his family about the shocking incident – but, after a serving soldier came across the heartbreaking tale on social media, Mr Marland has now received replacements of his original medals during a surprise presentation at Rochdale football club.
Mr Marland received the replacement medals on the pitch at half-time of Rochdale A.F.C’s League Two match with Stevenage.
The veteran also received a guard of honour, while the crowd applauded his entrance.
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The stolen medals included the 1939/45 War Star for active service during the Second World War, the France/Germany Star, the Defence Medal earned for service in the UK which was under attack, and the 1939/45 War Medal, also known as the Victory Medal.
Mr Marland received the replacement medals on the pitch at half-time of Rochdale A.F.C’s League Two match with Stevenage / Credit: British Army / Ministry of DefenceThe veteran also received a guard of honour, while the crowd applauded his entrance / Credit: British Army / Ministry of Defence
Major Linehan explained: “I’m a military historian and a couple of weeks ago, while on a battlefield study in Sicily, I was on Facebook and spotted a re-post from a friend Steve Shires, who I served with in Northern Ireland, saying a veteran had been pushed over and had his medals stolen.
“I immediately said I would replace them from my stock.”
Major Linehan travelled five and a half hours from Kent to make the presentation, and even got to chat with Jim prior to the presenting the replica medals.
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Speaking after the surprise presentation of the medals, Jim Marland said: “It was a surprise and I want to thank everyone that’s been so nice to me,” and even jokingly added: “If I’d known I was coming to this, I’d have out another row of medals on.”
A REME reservist sprung to the aid of a 96-year-old WW2 veteran who was mugged of his medals.
A replacement set was presented to Jim Marland at half time at @officiallydale last night.
As well as the medals, 103 REME also provided a replacement beret with an original WW2 cap badge worn by a relative of ex-Corporal Buckley (Royal Engineers) and an original WW1 cap badge worn by a Great Uncle of Flight Lieutenant Martin, who served with Major Linehan.
“The big Army family got together to produce this award and it was a wonderful privilege to give back to someone who gave so much for all of us,” Major Linehan added.
Featured Image – British Army / Ministry of Defence
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The Sopranos stars finally visit much-loved Manchester sandwich inspired by the show
Danny Jones
In what feels like an inevitable story in the making for a long time now, members of The Sopranos cast have finally visited the popular Manchester sandwich spot inspired by the show, Bada Bing.
We know were biased, but we believe there’s an argument to be made that the beloved Manc butty shop has perhaps an even more fervent cult following than die-hard viewers of the hit American TV drama.
In case you somehow still don’t know the connection, Bada Bing is named after the strip club where several of the main characters work and spend a lot of their time.
Having returned to Manchester city centre back in 2024 after a successful first stint, they’ve been busier than ever, and that famous local name seems to have spread further than ever, including all the way over to the States, where actors from the original show caught wind and have now made the pilgrimage.
You might wonder why they didn’t name it after the butchers and deli, Satriale’s, or maybe even Artie Bucco’s oft-featured restaurant, Vesuvio. Both seem pretty ideal, right?
But let’s be honest, Bada Bing just has a better ring to it; there’s no denying that.
Either way, when series stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa came over to Manchester last week for a live edition of their podcast (which has just wrapped a limited UK tour) at the O2 Apollo.
But whilst they were here, they also made sure to visit a lunchtime joint that we’re sure Tony, Paulie, Christoper, Silvio and all of The Sopranos regulars would approve of.
While they didn’t quite perch out on the stoop with an espresso and a cigar, they did pose with co-owner Sam Gormally for a quick photo op outside the door.
Oh, and we don’t even need to confirm whether or not they liked the heroes – we just know they did.
‘Chris’ Moltisanti himself, Imperioli, also hopped on social media to share another key moment from his visit to the region:
Writing on their TikTok post, the Babd Bing boys dubbed it a “full circle moment” and reiterated that they still “can’t believe this just happened.
To be honest, we’ve barely got over it ourselves, and we’re just very big fans of the place.
We simply cannot imagine how surreal that day must have been for the whole team and everyone involved, and we hope we get a fun new special toasting the pair’s appearance sometime soon.
Featured Images — Bada Bing/Michael Imperioli (via Instagram)
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Grammy-winning hardcore band Turnstile perform ‘exceptional’ cover of a Stone Roses classic
Danny Jones
In a cover version we never knew we needed, multiple Grammy award-winning hardcore band Turnstile have taken social media timelines by storm with a cover of a true British rock classic by The Stone Roses.
Described as everything from “pretty damn brilliant” and “exceptional” by CLASH Magazine to “one of the best triplej covers ever”, it’s fair to say they smashed it with this one.
This one was always likely to go down well with us Mancs, but you never know how possessive people are going to be with iconic tunes treasured not just by regions but entire eras like this.
Without further ado, please enjoy Turnstile’s cover of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses:
Lost track of how many times we’ve watched this now.
Truly excellent.
Not only did they manage to capture the ambient atmosphere of that legendary intro, but they managed to tow the thin paint-splattered line between simply trying to imitate the original and making it their own.
There’s something about frontman Brendan Yates’ vocals that suits this particular cover so very well right from the off.
We’re, of course, not saying that he sounds like Ian Brown in any way, but his range and top notes, in particular, seemed to fit almost perfectly.
Pair that with a contemporary rock band helping rejuvenate their particular guitar-driven genre, and those raw, driving D-beat-centric drums, and you’ve got a winning combo.
As you can see, the majority of the internet seems to agree with us…
.@TURNSTILEHC step into the @triplej studio to recover their take on The Stone Roses' debut album opener 'I Wanna Be Adored'.
The bulk of social media didn’t just hail the reimagining as one that did Brown, John Squire, Reni and the late, great Mani justice, but perhaps one of the greatest that the popular Australian radio station, YouTube channel and Spotify playlisters have seen in a long time.
In fact, in Audio North‘s humble opinion, we’d go so far as to say this is the best we’ve heard in the platform since their native Royel Otis’ delightful duo of The Cranberries and Sophie Ellis-Bextor covers.
Safe to say it’s been an incredible year for Turnstile, who mopped up all manner of accolades in 2025 and were even nominated for International Group at the BRITs here in Manchester this past weekend. They might not have won that one, but they get all the plaudits from us for their song selection alone.
What did you make of it? Better still, do you have a favourite triplej ‘Like a Version’? Actually, no – scrap that: is there a better cover of a Manc artist‘s track that you can think of?
Emily Sergeant -
25th November 2021 
