Little girl's lost purse returned to owner 50 years later

A woman reunited with a purse she lost in the 1960s said she got a “blast from the past” after it was returned to her more than 50 years later.

The distinctive triangular child’s purse, containing eight coins and a Girl Guides badge, was found by a metal detecting enthusiast.

Alistair Milne, 70, discovered the treasure in the grounds of Trefoil House near Hermiston in Edinburgh – which was once used as a Girl Guides camp.

Mr Milne was determined to reunite the distinctive purse with its original owner, so posted a picture onto Facebook to try to track the person down.

Blast from the past: The handmade purse.

Elaine Ainslie, 65, instantly recognised the handmade gift.

It was made by her mother who spent time in Bangour Village Hospital near Dechmont, West Lothian, due to a life-threatening accident.

Whilst recovering in hospital, she made two purses – the off-white one which was Ms Ainslie’s and a pale green one which was her sister Sandra’s.

Ms Ainslie, from Loanhead, Midlothian, is unsure as to how it ended up in the grounds of Trefoil House.

She was not a guide herself, but her sister was and may have spent time camping in the area.

Her brother, Ian, also attended Trefoil School on the same grounds.

Trefoil House: Girl Guides once camped on the grounds.

After collecting the purse from Mr Milne and his friend Eddie Hughes, 42, Ms Ainslie said: “It took me back about 50 years straight away and then of course that brought a rollercoaster of emotions and brought memories back I had completely forgotten.

“I was reliving it all, it felt really good.

“My mother made it when she was very ill, so it’s quite special.

“It was triangle-shaped with the stud and it was the same on the other side so when you handed it to people who didn’t know both sides of the purse opened, the money flew out everywhere, so to two wee girls it was a scream.”