War medal awarded to Shaw soldier 130 years ago goes under the hammer

The Afghanistan 1878-1880 medal belonged to Private William Belcher, the fifth of eight children of Shaw cowman, James Belcher and wife, Esther.
Although army records say he was born in 1851, Pte Belcher was actually born in Shaw in the third quarter of 1853, and was only in his mid-teens in June 1869 when he enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Berkshire Regiment.
He served with the Regiment in India and Afghanistan from February 1870 to January 1881 and took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between 1878-1880, for which he received the medal that is expected to fetch between £100 and £140 at Spink (correct,no final 's') auction house in Bloomsbury, London, this afternoon.
Spink auctioneers said the medal would be worth possibly nearer £200 if Pte Belcher had been killed or wounded in action, as so-called "casualty" medals are generally (please retain 'generally') more valuable.
Pte Belcher was lucky to have survived the bloody Afghan War in which 1,850 British and Allied troops were either killed or died of wounds, while a further eight thousand men died of disease.
In January 1881, Pte Belcher was promoted to the rank of corporal. Two years later, in February 1883, he was promoted again to Colour Sergeant.
He was in his early forties and had spent 26 years and 69 days in the army, when he was eventually discharged in August 1895.
What happened to him next is a mystery.
According to the 1861 Census, James and Esther Belcher had eight children at the time. They were: Hannah, aged 18, Charles, aged 16,Sarah, aged 13, Joseph, aged 10, William, aged seven, James and Esther, aged four, and John, aged one.
In 1861, the average farm labourer was earning eleven shillings a week, or 55p in modern money, yet it was enough for the Belchers to raise their eight children on that modest sum,although their income may have been boosted by the income from their four eldest children - aged between 10 and 18 - who were all working in 1861.
Their son, Joseph is listed in the 1861 Census as a "cow boy" while their eldest son, Charles was a shepherd.
Eldest daughter, Hannah, was a servant. Younger daughter, Sarah, was a nurse, possibly a nurse maid.
Do YOU know more about William Belcher or his family?.If so, please contact the newsdesk by email at newsdesk@newburynews.co.uk or telephone (01635) 564539.