A First World War medal belonging to a soldier who lost his life in Belgium in 1916 has been recovered from the sands of a Welsh beach.

Private Martin Tierney of the 2nd Battalion, the Leinster Regiment was killed in May 1916 and is buried at the CWGC Ration Farm Cemetery near Ypres.

Lost in the sand

Metal detectorist Tom Tummuscheit discovered the medal on the beach at Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, in April. A local newspaper then launched an appeal to find any surviving relatives. Remarkably it managed to track down the soldier’s great nephew, Donald Tierney, who lives in Ireland, and the medal was returned to him.

Private Tierney’s father lived in a house (now demolished) at Burry Port. The family believes the medal went missing in the 1960s or 1970s when it was dropped on the beach by children who were playing a game of soldiers.