A woman who bought a framed portrait of a World War I soldier at a car boot sale for £5 is determined to reunite it with his family.
Discovery at Cheddar Market
Mother-of-two Willow Hewett, from Somerset, spotted the photograph being sold for £5 at Cheddar Market. Intrigued, she purchased it and soon embarked on a quest to identify the unknown soldier. The previous owners, a couple, had no idea who he was or how they came to possess the portrait.
Clues in the Frame
After displaying the photo on her wall, Willow began searching for clues. She removed the back of the frame and discovered a service number, along with the studio name and the crest of the Great War. Using The National Archives, Imperial War Museums, and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, she identified the soldier as Private William Robert Linderbury-Hickerton.
Soldier's Background
Born in 1892 in Walton Cardiff, Gloucestershire, William was a farm labourer before enlisting in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He served as a non-combative medic with the 32nd Field Ambulance, a mobile frontline unit. He was later transferred to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers' 13th Battalion and was killed in action in northern France on 24 July 1918, aged 26. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Wood Memorial in Belgium.
Search for Living Relatives
William was unmarried and had no children, but he was one of at least six siblings. Willow has identified his elder siblings: Mary Ann, Alice Harriett, Elizabeth, Charles, and Emma, born between 1857 and 1867. She has traced several individuals with the surname Linderbury in Gloucestershire but has not yet located a living relative. She has contacted a Roger Linderbury on social media but received no response.
Willow said: "If I can find his family I will pass the framed photograph onto them. If not, I will keep it for myself. He will be forever remembered."
