I recently purchased some items from an auction in New Brunswick. Along with a pair of puttees, came ration booklets from the Second World War. Two of the small books belonged to a little boy. His name was written on the front of each booklet as well as his age, aged four and then five. His place of residence was recorded, too. I won’t reveal his name but he lived in Milltown, New Brunswick and was born in 1938.
Milltown Boy
The surname was unusual but the date of birth meant the little boy was now in his eighties. Many things could have happened over the years. Nevertheless, I went online to see if I could find the Milltown Boy, man now, and return his ration booklets to him.
I found a couple of references to Milltown Man but no way to contact him. I searched some more and found only one other possible connection. There was a woman with New Brunswick roots who was living and working in the U.S. She had an email address. I decided to write to her to see if she was related to the Milltown boy. If she wasn’t, she could delete my email and that would be that. Imagine my thrill when she responded and told me that Milltown Man was her father and she would love to have the ration cards. She added, “Your email provoked a really interesting conversation with my dad over the weekend, which was wonderful because he does not interact much on our calls these days due to worsening Alzheimer’s.”
I will mail her the booklets. I’m glad they have found their way home.
Not Simply Clutter
Objects do hold stories and memories. They are not simply clutter. Find the stories behind your items and see what they’ll give you before you get rid of them or throw them away. What tales are you discovering?
