AN AMATEUR sleuth from Rastrick is appealing for help from Examiner readers to unravel a mystery.
John Henshaw, 72, has been trying to find the last resting place of a valuable trophy missing for more than 60 years.
The Bingham Trophy disappeared from the records at the Smith Art Gallery in Brighouse in 1940.
The trophy, which was 3ft 3in high and had an 11ft circumference, was made in 1893.
It was created in Sheffield by Waller and Hall and was made of 1,500 ounces of sovereign silver and gold.
It cost £800 - and it is estimated that it would be worth more than £750,000 today.
The idea of the trophy, which was competed for by local Territorial Army units, was suggested in 1893, when Lt-Col William Bingham presented the Bingham Shield to the Huddersfield Rifles.
At the time Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, a son of Queen Victoria, suggested a new trophy for a field firing competition.
This was instigated and the Bingham Trophy was first presented in 1895, to the Bradford Rifles on Baildon Moor.
The last winners were Brighouse D Company in 1912.
Mr Henshaw said he saw the trophy in the Smith Art Gallery about 1940.
He said: "It was covered by glass and was on a trolley supported by four bicycle wheels.
"There has been no record of it for many years, but it should still be out there."
Mr Henshaw added: "I looked for the Bingham Trophy for six years, after stumbling across photos of it while researching my family history.
"But the trail seems to have ended."
