A search for clues about the life of a First World War soldier has begun after a rare find in a village garden.

Medals belonging to Sergeant William Charles Tucker, of the East Lancashire Infantry Regiment, were found in August when thespian Rob Belk was renovating his cottage in Southmoor, near Abingdon.

In a strange coincidence, Kingston Bagpuize Drama Group, based in the neighbouring village, is planning to stage a play about the Accrington Pals — a battalion from the same regiment — later this month.

The ‘Pals’ fought on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, with many of their soldiers dying or suffering terrible injuries.

Mr Belk is planning to create a display about First World War soldiers for the performances on November 27, 28 and 29 in Southmoor village hall — and wants to add Sgt Tucker’s name to the memorial.

He said: “While researching the Accrington Pals, I had a goose-bumps moment when I realised the ‘Elanir’ notation on the back of the Mons Star I found referred to the East Lancashire Infantry Regiment – the same regiment as the Accrington Pals.

“We had an East Lancs man in our own midst — a man we would like to honour when Accrington Pals is staged at the end of the month.”

Mr Belk is also keen to find out how a soldier from the East Lancashire Regiment came to live in Southmoor.

He said: “If he was a local man, whywas he in the East Lancashire Regiment? Where was he from?

“We hope readers might be able to help us honour Sgt Tucker by filling in some details of his life. People who come to the production can then read about him.”

Mr Belk found the medals while levelling off soil close to his 16th century cottage.

Although one of the other medals is in very poor condition, he believes it is a First World War Iron Cross — one of the best-known German medals.

This could have been kept by an English soldier as a trophy.

He also found a well-preserved Mons Star — also known as the 1914 Star — which was only awarded to British soldiers in the firing line in France and Belgium between August and November 1914.

The medal is named after the Belgian town of Mons where British and German forces first clashed on August 23 that year.

On the back of the medal is Sgt Tucker’s army number and the name of his regiment.

Mr Belk has researched Sgt Tucker, who was promoted from private to sergeant at the end of the war.

Although the soldier’s service records were destroyed in 1940, Mr Belk did discover he served in both the first and second battalions of the East Lancashire Regiment and survived to the end of the war in 1919.

Mr Belk is eager to find out more about the soldier and how his medals came to be buried in Southmoor.

He said: “Because his service record was destroyed we don’t have any information on his civilian address nor of his next of kin.

“As far back as 1881, there are no Tuckers in the census data for this area. Yet his medal, and possibly his trophy of war, the Iron Cross, were here at our cottage.”

If anyone has any information about the life of Sgt Tucker, call Mr Belk on 01865 823329.