Bury St Edmunds man appeals to public after his parents' wedding albums go missing

A pair of photo albums documenting the wedding of a Bury St Edmunds man's parents over 70 years ago have gone missing – prompting an appeal to the public.

Images from the albums, owned by Gavin Downes, were recently featured in the 'Love and War in Suffolk' exhibition at the Guildhall.

The photos were taken at the wedding of Mr Downes' parents, Jack and Dessie Downes, which took place in Germany on April 6, 1946.

A unique feature of the albums is the inclusion of Jack Downes' personal calligraphy on many pages, which is of a notably high standard.

Neither of the couple are still alive.

Recognising their historical value, Mr Downes submitted his parents' wedding albums for a Guildhall exhibition on Suffolk residents' relationships during wartime.

The albums were returned three weeks ago, around March 16 – but have gone missing in the interim.

Mr Downes runs the Gavin Ashley hair salon in King's Road.

He last remembers seeing the albums there shortly after he got them back from Guildhall staff.

He is appealing to the public in case anybody has come into possession of the albums, or has encountered them – including at the salon.

Mr Downes said of the loss of the albums: "I'm absolutely devastated. It's just a very personal thing to me."