FAMILY photographs and a war medal belonging to a heroic Gordon Highlander are among stolen items police in East Lothian are hoping to reunite with their owners.

Officers recovered the items during a recent operation investigating a series of housebreakings and thefts around the Ormiston area.

And they said some of the owners might not even realise the items had been lost, or that they had been targeted by thieves.

Inspector Andrew Harborow, of Tranent Police Station, said: “We are appealing for anyone who recognises these items or thinks they may know who they belong to to contact us. It may be the owners are not even aware they have been taken.

“They may be items which the owners think are safely tucked away. Please check your homes and contact us on 101 if you believe you recognise them.”

Among the possessions looking for their owners is a blue Nikon Coolpix camera which contains family photographs, including pictures which may have been taken on the west coast of Scotland or up north, showing beaches and seals.

There is also a men’s Triumph watch and a Geneva Sports Quartz watch, which may have belonged to a woman, among the haul.

Police even recovered a Kona Caldera bicycle, some of which retail at around £600, during the operation.

Perhaps the most poignant find is a medal which dates back to the Napoleonic Wars.

The Military General Service medal, awarded in 1847, was given to soldiers who fought for their country between 1793 and 1814. Police have identified its recipient as Donald McBain, of the Gordon Highlanders 92nd Foot Regiment.

The regiment, which was formed in 1794, took part in numerous conflicts during the wars, most famously in the Battle of Waterloo, when legend says the men of the 92nd grabbed on to the stirrups of the horses of the Scots Greys as they chased after French soldiers so that they could reach them.

One officer reported afterwards that: “As we passed through them they shouted ‘Go at them the Greys, Scotland forever!’ Many of them grasped our stirrups and in the fiercest excitement, dashed with us into the fight.”

The regiment later arrived back in Edinburgh in 1819 to large cheering crowds.

Anyone who can help trace the owners of the items can call Tranent Police Station through 101.