THE mystery surrounding an early 20th century memorial has been solved, thanks to Oxford Mail readers.

Last week, Drayton resident Alan Bourne contacted the paper to try to trace the names of two men on the brass plaque.

He found the memorial in a scrapyard 20 years ago and, not having the heart to destroy it, hung it on his workshop wall.

It honoured two men, John E Harper who was killed in 1915, and Charles Awbery.

Now it looks set to return to its rightful home, after scores of Mail readers rang in to trace the names to a village near Reading.

First off the mark was Linda King, who emailed shortly after 9am on Friday to say: “Being a family history fanatic I couldn’t help but try to solve the puzzle of the brass plaque in today’s Oxford Mail.”

Along with 20 other people who contacted the paper, Ms King tracked the names to Pangbourne, near Reading.

Using the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and census records, it has been discovered that John Ernest Harper was 22 when he fell at Gallipoli.

He was the son of Thomas and Ellen Harper, who ran the village dairy, and had six brothers and sisters.

Andrew French, from the Berkshire Yeomanry Museum in Windsor, said: “John Harper enlisted within the first few days of the war.

“The regiment embarked with their horses in April 1915 for Egypt.

“On August 13 they were sent without their horses to Gallipoli to fight as infantry. John Harper was killed in the charge of the regiment on Scimitar Hill.”

His grave remains unknown, but he is remembered on the Helles Memorial in Turkey.

Charles Awbery, known as Charlie, died sometime between April and June 1929 in Bradfield, near Pangbourne. He was 67 years old.

The 1911 census shows him working as a builders’ manager and married with two daughters, Edith Louise and Eva Elizabeth. His descendents are now believed to have the name Huntingdon.

The Rev Heather Parbury, from St James the Less Church in Pangbourne, also rang the Mail.

She said: “We have records of both of these men and Mr Awbery and his wife are buried in our churchyard. We have had people visiting the church saying they’ve read the story and are following the trail. It’s interesting.

“We don’t have any record of the memorial plaque but two of our chapels in the village were demolished in the 20th century so we think it must have come from one of those.”

She added: “We’d be more than happy to see it back here so people can see it. They must have meant a lot to people in this parish.”

Last night, Mr Bourne thanked readers for solving the mystery.

He said: “It’s all very interesting to find this out. If the church would like the plaque back, I’d only be too happy to give it back. That is its rightful place.”