A box of letters, photos and trinkets dating back to the First World War discovered in an attic has been returned to its owner.

Last week, The Argus reported how Martin and Helen Bennett hoped to return a small wooden box they found in the loft of their old house in Goring to relatives of the people mentioned and pictured inside.

The box contained letters to a woman called Annie Marshall and her husband Sidney from her brother George Terry and cousin Percy Terry who both served in the First World War.

Tom Scutt, 61, recognised his uncle Johnny in a school photograph contained in the box and printed in The Argus and then realised the story was about his grandparents.

Enthusiasm Mr Scutt, who lives with his wife Trudy in Barrington Road, Durrington, said: "I couldn't believe it was all about my family."

The discovery has sparked a renewed enthusiasm for Mr and Mrs Scutt and their two grown-up daughters Tammy, 29, and Tanya, 27, to piece together their family tree.

Mr Scutt said: "My mother died about five years ago and gave us boxes of papers and things. We did look at them at the time but then they just got left to one side."

Now the family is poring over dozens of old love letters, photos, ration books and all sorts of other documents to map out their heritage.

Mrs Scutt said: "Getting this box back is the final piece of the jigsaw. Tom's been so chuffed about it all week."

Mr Scutt explained his grandparents met at a farm in Midhurst where Sidney Marshall worked as a cowman. The couple brought up their daughter Barbara Marshall (Mr Scutt's mother) along with their nephew Johnny Wheeler, who Mr Scutt recognised in the photo.

He said his grandmother gave him the box after an argument with her daughter (and his mother) Barbara years ago.

Mr Scutt lived in the Bennetts' old house in Ardingly Drive in the early Seventies and believes the box must have dropped out of a tray of letters and trinkets in the loft.

It stayed there for more than ten years until the Bennetts discovered it.

Mr and Mrs Bennett met the Scutts on Saturday to hand over the box.

Mrs Bennett said: "I'm so glad we never threw it away. It's lovely that it's finally going back to its owner."