A PENSIONER believes she can solve the mystery of a box of old books, papers and medals found in the loft of a North-East house.

Earlier this week, The Northern Echo reported how Chris Leonard, from Darlington, found a box containing documents including a letter from Queen Mary, dated 1950, in his house.

The papers included minutes from meetings of the Grand United Order of the Knights of the Golden Horn, an organisation similar to the Freemasons.

Also in the box were badges marked "OM", and two medals, one inscribed to "KT JR Oxley" and dated March 27, 1947, marking his acceptance into the order. The other was similarly inscribed to "KT D Knowles" and dated September 15, 1949.

Reader Audrey Checksfield, 68, also of Darlington, saw the story and believes one of the medals belonged to her father, John Richard Oxley, who was known as Jack.

Mr Oxley, who died in 1975, was a member of the Golden Horn and Mrs Checksfield remembers going to meetings with him.

She said: "Sometimes there were social evenings where families could attend, but meetings were held in private and we weren't allowed in."

Mrs Checksfield believes her father had a number of other medals from the Order but these were given to her brother and went missing when he died.

Yesterday, Mrs Checksfield went to visit Mr Leonard to see the medal, and to try to piece more of the history of the secret movement together.