What are the chances? WW2 trench art braclet makes its way back to owner after all these years

First thing i want to say is that i have 100% respect for all our guys and gals in the armed service. My pop was in ww2 and i have allways looked up to all our diggers and what happend today brough a tear to my eye and goose bumps all over my body.

First thing i want to say is that i have 100% respect for all our guys and gals in the armed service. My pop was in ww2 and i have allways looked up to all our diggers and what happend today brough a tear to my eye and goose bumps all over my body.

Story goes…..

My whole life i have had a coin collection my Grandparents gave me . In this collection there are a few odds and ends like an old pocket knife, some old war medal and a old bracelet with a piece of aluminium carved into the shape of Australia. Engraved onto this is a guys name and rank and “R.A.N”

For years i have wanted to look up the family and give it to them. As of a year ago i took it to work and in my spare time i rang everyone with that second name with no luck. Must of tryed over 30 people. I left the bracelet on my desk at work determend to find the family of the guy and pass it on.

Not long after maybe 2 months i had a strong feeling to try again, something really strong came over me so i got on whitepages and looked up again.

There were now 6 new numbers that wernt there last time .I tryed the first 4 and no luck and 2 to go. The next call i got a lady and she hummed and harrd then said ” There is a Bob down in mandurah retirement village thats the last surviving and the oldest in the family. I was happy that i now had a possible lead to a family member.

I then rang and it just about rang out when finally a guy pics up. I said ” Hi my names Marc and im sorry to bother you but i have a old bracelet shaped in the shape of Australia with ……….. engraved on it. Now for the shock!!! He said “Thats me”. I had goose bums from head to toe but the most spun out bit was to come. He was so happy that i have it. He had been looking for it for so long and told me the history. In WW2 his ship were off shore bombing softening up the beach in near Burma for the troops and a japanese zero flew over, he was on B gun and they shot it down. Later they went ashore and took pieces as momentos and he carved out this little Australia out of the wreckage of the zero and made it for a id bracelet!!!!!
I couldnt belive what i was hearing!! He was telling me all about the ilsands they were moored up at and some of the battles and many storys of WW2

I said i would drop it off for him. He sounded so happy and it really made me emotional. I couldnt wait to see it back on his arm! I will have a drink with him and tell a few storys.
What a day!

Here is a picture of the bracelt….

I had a call from his son not long after thanking me and was blown away that i had found it.
I told him it would have it back in his Dads hands as soon as possible.
Such a good feeling .

Well the time came to take it back and meet him face to face, i went down to mandurah RAAF retirement village to return the braclet to Bill, gee what an experience!!! Told me lots of unreal stories and some really bad ones that he hasnt told anyone before. Such sad stories.
He was on the HMAS Napier. The ship was on loan from Britain

The best part of the time there was handing over the braclet and the look on his face when i pulled it out of the box was priceless!!!!!
He was so happy to have it back.
He told me how the zero was shot down. They all were on the deck and he noticed a plane in the sky that didnt look normal. It turned and came straight at them. he was watching this zero coming side on at the ship and he knew if it fired its guns he was gone but instead it dropped a bomb that missed, the zero pulled up and fired on a ship near by and killed a couple of crew. The zero then flew past the Napier and napier fired its anti-aircraft guns hitting the zero and the zero crashed over a hill on one of the islands. The crew of the napier went on the island that day and took pieces of the plane and when back on the ship carved these bracelets.

The HMAS Napier was there in Tokyo bay the day of the jap surrender. So many cool stories and was such a great day and a feeling i will never forget giving it back to him so he can also pass it down to his family.
Couple of pics for you…
The man himself at 17yrs of age…(picture taken of a photo on his wall)

The mighty ship, Hmas Napier

An artist painting of the ship at war

Me giving Bill his momento back after all these years

Back on his wrist after all these years

Bill and his wife