An unexpected return

Second World War medals had been donated to Goodwill

CALGARY – An unlikely donation to a Goodwill store prompted an overwhelming experience for Calgary’s Tracey Scott as aging photographs, Second World War medals and mementos were returned to her family Sunday.

With shaky hands, she sifted through boxes filled with faded photos and honours, including a Memorial Cross bearing her grandfather’s name — Sgt. R.W. Finch. He died in action just before the war ended.

She retrieved the items from a Goodwill shop in Calgary’s northeast after employees took to social media to find the rightful owner. Scott was shocked and grateful the items were returning home.

“The medals are amazing, but the pictures are so much more. The few we’ve looked at — we’ve just never seen,” she said.

Near the end of October, the items were put in a donation bin among other donations. Once an employee found them, the store almost immediately took to social media to find the family they belonged to and media quickly picked up the story.

“You don’t expect this to be you. I had seen the headline and wasn’t even going to read the story. Then a family friend messaged me and said, ‘What’s your mom’s maiden name?’ and I said, Finch,’” recalled Scott.

“I went to the store and saw my grandmother and my grandfather staring back at me.”

Lorna Schnepf, manager at the Transcanada Goodwill store, said the experience was touching.

“In my personal opinion when it comes to heritage like this, we don’t get a second chance at it and you also don’t get to honour the people that fought for our country,” she said, choking back tears. “If you don’t honour those people, our kids are going to forget and we can’t have that.”

With Remembrance Day just days away, she said it’s a visceral reminder of the sacrifice made by Canadians in the Second World War fighting for the freedoms people enjoy today.

Remembrance Day, for Scott, has always been an important day to reflect on her grandfather’s service.

This year won’t be any different as she takes the day off to honour her loved ones and the many others who made the ultimate sacrifice.

JIM WELLS ■ POSTMEDIA Tracey Scott shows a Memorial Cross medal which was among antique family photos returned in Calgary on Sunday. The photos and war medals were found in a donation to Goodwill and after some investigation by Goodwill staff, the items were returned to Scott and her family.