TOILING over their ledgers, poring through the tragically long lists of men who served during World War One, the members of Prudhoe Local History Society could never have envisaged an outcome like this.

For in their work to update the names on Prudhoe’s lych gate three long-lost relatives were reunited from the far corners of the world.

Maria Lynch, Nella Callender and Margaret Elliott met for the first time last week, brought together by a mysterious medal with a shield of Prudhoe Working Men’s Club, unearthed in East Kent.

After exhaustive research, Len Franchetti and Bill Rochester, of Prudhoe Local History Society, found the medal’s rightful owner, Lance Corporal Henry Lynch of Ada Street Prudhoe.

Following a public appeal for relatives to come forward, the power of the internet then led them to Henry’s only surviving direct descendent – Maria Lynch, of Queensland, Australia.

So last week, Maria journeyed across the world to collect her grandfather’s medal, and meet relatives she never knew she had.

Prudhoe resident, Nella Callender is the daughter of Thomas Lynch, one of Henry’s brothers and Margaret Elliott (72) is the granddaughter of Sarah, Henry’s sister. Meeting for the first time, the three women were able to go through family photographs and add branches to their family tree.

Nella (92) said: “I didn’t know anything about it until Len came to see me and explained – I was so pleased.”

For Maria this moment is laced with poignancy as over the years she has lost nearly all her immediate family.

Maria decided to go through a box of old letters and postcards that had belonged to her father following the death of her brother in 2010.

Determined to trace her roots she travelled to England to find more information but hit dead end after dead end.

Then she was contacted by the Prudhoe Local History Society and is now keen to know all she can discover about her new-found family members.

She said: “I didn’t even know my grandfather had survived the war before all of this.

“When Len got in touch to tell me about Nella and Margaret it was so amazing.

“And this moment is so special to me. I have correspondence between my grandmother and Nella and now I can put a face to those words in the letter.

“I really hope we do keep in touch.”

Bill said: “When you’re wading through hundreds of names you never imagine this would happen.

“This is the icing on the cake for us, to see people come together.”