Love letters, documents from Second World War era discovered in Edmonton dresser
An Edmonton woman who believes she's discovered a piece of local history is hoping to reunite some new-found artifacts with their rightful owners.
Rayanne Boychuk has been running her furniture refinishing business for five years.
Over that time, she's found discarded items before, but until this week nothing that seemed likely to hold any value.
"I have never found anything cool," Boychuk told CTV News Edmonton.
"Everybody always thinks that I’m going to find money or something that will retire me from doing this, but I’ve found nothing other than literally, probably about 50 pairs of underwear."
When Boychuk was going through an old dresser she planned to restore, after purchasing it from Goodwill in west Edmonton, something caught her eye.
"I was working late at night," she said, "and I opened the drawers, and right behind one of the drawers was all of these treasures."
Those "treasures" included a Bible from a soldier, along with his Australian combat records. Boychuk also found photographs, and love letters that appeared to be written for the soldier by his wife.
"I thought it was amazing and I wanted to try and find his family to return these truly one of a kind items," she said.
A man's old driver's licence was also found with the items.
The ID shows it belonged to Peter Maurice Moore who was born in 1920 and once lived in Sherwood Park.
Boychuk did some investigating and believes Moore is deceased.
"His wife was named Vera and then he had a daughter named Valerie, and a granddaughter named Amelia."
The Edmonton furniture refinisher said her favourite item from her discovery is a letter from Moore's wife.
"And it says, 'I pray that God will take care of you for me and bring you safely home back to me. And then we will be together for always,'" said Boychuk.
That letter was the only one no longer sealed. The rest, Boyshuk said, will remain sealed, at least until she can track down Moore's family.
"I think this is truly someone’s entire legacy and it’s too important to be left with me. It needs to be in the right hands."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.