Military officials in Edmonton are asking the public to help identify a man they call "the unknown soldier" so they can return some Second World War medals left unclaimed in a city framing shop.

Six service medals belonging to this man were left unclaimed for 13 years at an Edmonton framing shop. (Department of National Defence)

The six medals, which are framed in a shadow box, had been left at Folkgraphis Frames 13 years ago.

"This was a soldier who obviously went through the entire World War Two. He was in Italy. He was in northern Europe. He put it out there for Canada and what we're going to try and do is see if we can find him," Capt. Steve Lowery said at the Edmonton Garrison on Monday.

Contact information for the family had been lost. Folkgraphis had been contracted to do the shadow-box framing by another Edmonton company, which has since gone out of business, taking the contact information with it.

A manager at Folkgraphis handed over the medals to the military two weeks ago, when another soldier, Master Cpl. Larry Young, was picking up an order at the store.

"Just to find out who this is, and to give them to a grandson or son or daughter or wife, is very important," Young said.

The frame contains a black and white photo of the soldier in the centre, flanked by his medals, which include the Defence Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service medal and the War Medal. The stars mark the man's service in Italy, Germany and France.

While they're not worth any money, Lowery said they would have significant sentimental value to the family of the soldier in the picture.

"We're hoping somebody … will see this and recognize Dad or Grandpa, or brother," he said.

The frame containing the medals has been left unclaimed since December 1995. (Lydia Neufeld/CBC)

The medals aren't stamped with the man's name nor is the photo marked.

According to military historians he's spoken with, Lowery said the fact the soldier is wearing a tie in the photograph suggests he was an officer, and a little bit older, perhaps fighting in the war when he was in his 20s.

"He likely now would be in his 90s, if he is living, and we certainly hope that he is," Lowery said. "We're suspecting in that era people weren't as mobile as they are today, so we're guessing that he was probably an Alberta man who joined the army and served within one of the Alberta regiments."

Those regiments could include the Loyal Edmonton, Lord Strathcona's Horse, or the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Lowery said.