Goodwill donation of war medals makes its way to soldier's grandson after months of detective work

CALGARY -

When a collection of medals representing one man's service in both the First and Second World Wars turned up at a Calgary Goodwill store, staff knew immediately they had work to do.

"When he came across this shadow box full of medals he knew, these can't go out on the floor," said Jasmine Robinson, marketing director with Goodwill in Calgary.

She said there were a few clues. For one thing, the medals came from both England and Canada. There was also a small inscription on the side of one medal: JT Hearson, Sask.

There was also an old photograph with two men in uniform.

SCOURING THE INTERNET

Robinson and some of her colleagues started scouring the internet for obituaries and other clues, reaching out to the Military Museum for guidance.

Eventually they located a John Thomas Hearson from Weyburn, Sask., born in Nottingham England. And, after a lot more searching they found what appeared to be a living grandson: Kelly Hearson of Winnipeg.

"They sent me a photo of the medals that included an actual photo of my grandfather," said Kelly Hearson. "It made my heart leap a bit to know I would get his medals."

John Thomas Hearson fought in the trenches of the First World War, including at the Somme. He moved to Canada following the war and served with the Canadian forces, eventually training recruits during the Second World War.

“I have a feeling that while he was a small man in stature his word carried some weight and gravity and was listened to by the young recruits," Hearson said.

Medals discovered in a Calgary Goodwill, November 2, 2021

His grandfather died in 1981, at 86 years of age. He remembers his grandfather as a kind, simple man, who worked as a milkman in Weyburn.

He said the medals are already out with a professional restorer to be cleaned and remounted. They will soon have a place alongside his father's Second World War medals - John Thomas's son - and his maternal uncle's medals.

"They will be displayed prominently along with the medals that I already have, in a display case," says Hearson. "And they will be there until I'm gone.”