After fire tore through Melbourne's Wesley College in 1989 there in the still smouldering ashes was Robert Grieve's Victoria Cross.
While the library's roof caved in, the medal - made out of gunmetal - remained, its crimson ribbon burnt.
Firefighters and a staff member made the discovery a day after the blaze, adding to the remarkable story of Grieve's legacy.
The commanding officer of the 37th Battalion's company single-handedly knocked out two machine-gun posts during fighting at Messines in June 1917.
"He was the only officer in his company that was not dead or wounded," Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson recalled on Thursday.
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With no higher-ranked officers surviving the battle, Captain Grieve was unusually recommended for recognition by two of his own men.
"Somehow it made its way through the bureaucracy of the military," said Wesley College curator of collections Kenneth Park.
Grieve's family bequeathed the Victoria Cross - the highest award for gallantry - to his beloved school.
It now sits in Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance when it's not temporarily displayed in Canberra.
Grieve was a very popular student and an accomplished cricketer.
"He had a very good bowling arm which I think helped him propelling grenades," Mr Park said.
Grieve's great-niece Mary Carter, who was born a year after his death in 1957, said the Victoria Cross remains a great source of pride to the family.
Growing up she heard lots of stories about her great-uncle, including one about his sporting prowess.
"He was watching his old school playing footy, dressed up in his dinner suit and the (team wasn't) doing terribly well and so he ripped off his coat, put on some boots and ran on," she said.
"They ended up winning apparently."
A century on, the Grieve medal along with two others are being added to a showcase at the war memorial, taking to 85 the number on display.
Lieutenant Clifford Sadlier earned his decoration for successfully attacking three machine-gun posts during fierce fighting at Villers-Bretonneux in France.
Sergeant Lewis McGee - dubbed "one of Tasmania's finest" - and armed with just a revolver - stormed a German concrete pill box in a shower of machine-gun fire.
His actions took place in the "mud, slime and the bloodbath" at Tyne Cot, Belgium, Dr Nelson said.
McGee never received his Victoria Cross, having been killed a week after his feat.
The three medals will be on display for six months.
