A £500 reward is being offered for the return of a prestigious peace award which went missing from a Navy ship in dock for a refit in 2017.

The former captain of the RFA Sir Galahad, Captain Roger Robinson-Brown RFA Retired was presented with "The Wilkinson Sword of Peace" for his ship's part in the Gulf War in 2003.

However, when that ship retired and was sent to Brazil to be scrapped the award was passed onto its replacement RFA Cardigan Bay because of its connection to the Welsh Guards and their association with the previous Sir Galahad.

However Captain Robinson-Brown says that during a refit of the ship at Falmouth Docks in 2017, the trophy disappeared.

"I have recently found out that the trophy was removed without permission or taken from the ship whilst in Falmouth Docks during Cardigan Bay’s refit in 2017," he told the Packet. "The value of the item is in the order of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds mark.

"It was removed without permission it wasn't lost. In the good old days if anybody would leave anything of value displayed on a ship going in for refit it is looked on as fair game. I don't know what the ship's company were on leaving anything on display.

"I am absolutely appalled, quite frankly, that it was left on display because if it had gone to any shipyard n the country, not just Falmouth, it would have been the first thing to walk off the ship.

"I feel pretty disappointed."

Capt Robinson-Brown says he hopes to be able to give the reward to the Coxon of the Falmouth lifeboat.

The Sir Galahad came into service in 1988 and was the replacement for one of the Royal Navy's most famous ships.

The original Sir Galahad was bombed by Argentinian planes and set on fire during the Falklands War in 1982 with the loss of 48 lives. Welsh Guardsman Simon Weston MBE was one of the survivors, although he was severely burned.

The award was presented to Capt Robinson-Brown after the second Sir Galahad took part in a relief effort to get supplies into a big Iraq port. It had to make its way through a minefield which was cleared twice after being relaid to carry out the operation with the world's press on-board.

Falmouth Docks have been approached for a comment.