Name, rank and an ID number: not much else is known about J.I. Andrews, years after a black leather pouch containing what appear to be the Second World War veteran’s belongings were found near Square One in Mississauga.

Years of research, legion inquiries and reaching out to government agencies hasn’t revealed much more about the package, which its holders hope to return to Andrews or the veteran’s family as soon as possible.

Adam Cuff found the small packet containing four Royal Canadian Air Force emblem patches and a brass bracelet with Andrews’ name engraved along with “B 606638.” The Oakville resident said he was landscaping on a complex of properties around Square One when he first came across the items.

“I remembered thinking it was a medical bracelet at first,” Cuff said. “But then I thought, this is something else, like a commemorative thing.”

How the package ended up around Square One, what happened to Andrews and most of the details prior to Cuff finding the items is a mystery for John A. Scott, who is holding the items in Sudbury with his wife Sylvie Giroux.

Scott, who is a self-described Second World War aviation enthusiast, obtained the parcel through Cuff’s mother, Laurel Seeley. To him, the items and the way they were kept show they were important to Andrews.

“There must have been a pride that he had for serving,” he said. “And if it was my dad, I’d want that. I’d want his bracelet.”

Through his sleuthing, Scott has been able to identify Andrews’ first name as John, that he was an acting corporal in the Dufferin and Haldiman Rifles of Canada and he embarked from Halifax on Feb. 25, 1945.

Scott believes that Andrews survived the war and could possibly be alive today.

Andrews’ regiment dates back to 1866, when it formed as the 37th Haldimand Battalion of Rifles. According to records from the Department of National Defence, the regiment was based in Brantford and played a home defence role in Canada before disbanding in March of 1945.

There’s no J.I. Andrews on the list of dead from the Second World War, according to Carl Kletke, assistant heritage officer with the Canadian Forces. That means it’s likely Andrews survived the war, but that would also mean that his records are sealed.

“That’s the challenge of finding people with artifacts,” he said. “Even if you have a service number, if they’re a veteran that’s still alive, then their information and personnel file is still closed, essentially as long as they’re alive.”

Library and Archives Canada hold service records for both regular and reserve members of the military. Personal information of living persons can only be released with the consent of that individual military member.

If the veteran has been dead for less than 20 years, only limited personal information can be released to immediate family. After 20 years, the library will release personal information of Canadian Forces personnel with a proof of death.

Kletke said that there are a few requests to identify soldiers from their paraphernalia every year, and Canadian Forces staff face the similar frustrations as everyone else when trying to access records.

“Sometimes these things take time, and then suddenly there’s a connection made somewhere along the way that helps,” he said.

A connection is exactly what Scott is hoping for. He wrote an email to the Mississauga News in May about the paraphernalia, hoping that a story about the items would help return them to the rightful owners.

“To me, it’s a family treasure and hopefully his family would treasure it,” he said. “And if I don’t do something with it, it will just end up getting chucked in the garbage somewhere along the line, because what are you going to do with somebody else’s ID bracelet?”

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Cuff, whose grandfather, Leslie Seeley, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, is of the same mind. He believes that the parcel belongs to Andrews or his family and is hopeful that it will be valuable to the them.

“To get back to the rightful owner or rightful family, that’s where it belongs, and from there, they can decide what they want to do with it.”

Anyone with information that might lead to locating Andrews or any relatives can email Scott at rrmerlin44@gmail.com.

Steve Cornwell is a reporter with the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach him via email: scornwell@metroland.com

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