A PENARTH woman has featured on national television showcasing a treasure trove of 100-year-old souvenirs that her father-in-law kept during the First World War.

Marion Avon featured on ITV News last Friday, July 4, ahead of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Her father-in-law Ivanhoe Avon’s war medals, diaries, postcards and photographs had been preserved in almost immaculate condition in a safety deposit box until they were discovered shortly after his death in 1988.

After Marion presented her findings to Penarth Town Council’s World War 1 Commemorative Group in May this year it was decided that a special event would be held, with her souvenirs taking centre stage in a display cabinet, to mark the anniversary of the war in Penarth.

During the ITV News package Marion spoke about how important it was for the younger generation to understand what war was like and to visit places in the likes of France and Germany where conflict took place.

She also described Ivanhoe Avon’s role in the war, the items found in the box that included a flag, his diary and will that he kept with him at all times throughout the war, and how he coped with life after the war.

He had joined up at the age of 17 and served as a signalman and rifleman both in France and Greece until the Armistice.

To watch the news package go to http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2014-07-04/one-month-until-wwi-centenary-anniversary/ and http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2014-07-04/world-war-one-centenary-ivanhoe-avons-story/