WHILE researching his family history, Barry Marsh has come across an unfamiliar service medal and has been trying to trace the family of its owner.

Barry, who lives in Saltash, was looking through a box of his father’s naval service medals when he came across a First World War Victory Medal engraved with the name George Lewis Tucker, along with his rank and service number.

‘Researching war records I found that he was killed at the battle of Jutland’ explained Barry, ‘on May, 31, 1916. His ship was lost with all hands.

‘I have found he is in no way related to my family, which is Kingsbridge born and bred on my mother’s side, and so it is a mystery as to how this medal came into my father’s possession.’

George Lewis Tucker is named on the Dodbrooke Church 1914-1918 War Memorial Plaque, along with that of another local shipmate Alfred Distin, as well as the Kingsbridge Quay Memorial and the war memorial on Plymouth Hoe.

Barry continued: ‘After extensive research online and with assistance from Kingsbridge Local Heritage Resource Centre at the Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum, who provided me with relative photocopies of the Kingsbridge Gazette. I have been unable to trace any possible living relatives of his.

‘As it is the 100th Anniversary of his death this year, I would have liked to return his medal to them.’

Barry is hoping to be able to unite George’s family with his medal, but if his family cannot be traced by the end of May, he will pass the medal and his research on the the Heritage Centre.

If you think you might be a relative of George Lewis Tucker, contact us at the Gazette on 01548 856353, email: [email protected] or through our social media accounts and we will put you in contact with Barry.