RBL appeal for medal in tip owner hopes for family

Hucknall Branch Royal British Legion celebrate their Poppy Appeal success, pictured is Poppy Appeal organiser, Barrie Straw.

The branch are now appealing to Dispatch readers to help them return it to its rightful owners.

“We are trying to make contact with any descendent relatives of a Private Charles William Barker,” said Legion secretary, Mick Howard. “One of our members was given Pte Barker’s British War Medal some years ago by a dustman who had found it on a tip.

“We are trying to track any descendant in order to return the medal. “

So far the organisation has found out that Private Barker was born in 1888 in Basford (but no record of his date of death) and lived locally until he enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps during July 1918 and given the Regimental number of 171377.

He was discharged from the Army on 09/02/1919 having survived the war.

“Due to the short amount of service carried out the likelihood is that he had been in a reserved occupation.

“We feel that as we move to the centenary commemorations of the First World War it would be a fitting gesture to be able to present the medal to a descendant of a survivor of that terrible conflict.”

Contact Mr Howard on 0115 9536255 or email: [email protected].

07773616935