A TEESDALE man is hoping to locate the family of a soldier who fought in the First World War to unite them with his bronze memorial plaque.

John Hay, of Barningham, found the plaque of Albert Edward West at a jumble sale in the 1950s when he was ten years old.

The plaque has stayed with Mr Hay for more than fifty years, who has tried on numerous occasions to locate Mr West’s family.

He said: “I have done some background investigation and it looks like Albert grew up just across the street from me. He was born in 1898 to Charles and Emily West, of Trinity Street, Leytonstone, in Essex.

“In 1914, Albert enlisted at Stratford into the 7th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment as Private 9125. They mobilised for war in May 1915 and by December 1915 Charles West was notified that Albert was missing.

“Albert was officially listed as killed in action on October 13, 1915, place unknown.

“I am trying to find out whether there are any descendants of the West family. It would be good to reunite Albert and his family in this centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War, and especially by October 2015.”