A METAL detectorist is searching for the family of a First World War veteran after digging up a medal belonging to him.

Artefact enthusiast Jake Cressey found the medal buried in Chailey. It could have been underground for 100 years.

The victory medal, which is made from silver, is believed to have belonged to soldier Lewis Smith, from Brighton.

Now Jake, 27, is trying to track down his relatives so he can give it back.

Jake, who lives in Chailey and works in security, said he was excited when he found the medal, but it wasn’t until it was scrubbed clean that he realised the magnitude of the find.

He said: “When I first turned it over, I got excited straight away.

“I thought maybe it was a pendant of some sort at first.

“I got home, gave it a wash down and put it in a couple of Facebook groups.

“They confirmed it was a medal and what kind it was.”

Since posting the find online in the search for

the family, Jake has received an “overwhelming” response.

However, he said people will have to prove their ancestry to claim the medal in case someone tried to obtain the artefact to sell it.

He said: “A few people have been a bit dodgy.

“I had a man tell me his great grandad was a Lewis Smith from Brighton but went I went on Facebook, I saw he was a medal collector.”

The medal, which has a serial number, allowed Jake and other enthusiasts to track it to a military report on Lewis Smith, which had his address and service number.

Medals in good condition with a traceable history can be sold for as much as £1,000 but for Jake, reuniting the medal with the family of the veteran is his main concern.