Man appeals to trace relatives of World War One soldier after finding medal buried in Hull garden

A man who found a World War One campaign medal buried in his garden is hoping to discover more about the man it was awarded to.

Levi Pemberton discovered the small plaque inscribed with 'The Great War for Civilisation, 1914-18' and the name of Corporal John William Wilks, who was killed in action in 1916.

Corporal Wilks served with the 7th East Yorkshire Regiment during the campaign, and his last known address was on Bellamy Street in Hull. The Hull Daily Mail reported his death and his name is listed on the Thiepval Memorial, meaning his remains were never found.

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Mr Pemberton has discovered that the soldier was born in Hull in 1883, meaning he would have been 33 when he died. His parents were called Joseph and Hannah Wilks.

After Mr Pemberton posted an appeal on Twitter for more information about the family, social media users came forward to suggest that it was common at the time for medals and death plaques to be buried in a soldier's garden as a lasting tribute. Others suggested searching census records to find out more about his background.

"If the family cannot be traced or I will re-bury it in my garden. I just wanted to reach out in case they have no knowledge of this," said Mr Pemberton.

The Yorkshire Regiment also offered access to their archives and service records at the regimental museum in York.

Corporal Wilks's service number was 11135.

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