'This is beyond awesome': Listeners from across Canada send P.E.I. boy WW II artifacts

The story of an 11-year-old Summerside boy collecting artifacts from the Second World War has touched Canadians across the country, with over a dozen people sending him uniforms, first aid kits, grenades, gas masks, food ration tins and pilot notebooks.

Riley Clarke started collecting items from  the Second World War after he learned his grandfather served in the war. His collection has grown now after CBC listeners from far and wide heard his story and decided to donate to him.

One of those listeners was Marc Dugas, a 20 year veteran of the Toronto paramedic service. He sent Clarke a German field doctor's medical kit from the Second World War, which he spent years of his life putting together.

His original idea was to put the items he collected on display as a way to build morale among the paramedics he works with.

​"I wanted to set up a display to show the medics that they had a pretty significant historical role within their field," Dugas said.

But the plan fell through when resources weren't available at his work, so he kept the items in storage for a few years. Then one day, on the way to work he overheard the CBC's story about Clarke's collection. He contacted the CBC and was able to get in touch with Clarke's mom and get his mailing address.

"I said, alright I'm sending this stuff to him," Dugas said. "This is where this belongs, this is the universe screaming out give this stuff to this young man and he'll appreciate it."

"I'm surprised all this stuff managed to stay in amazing condition," Clarke said.

Another listener in Woodstock, N.B., Henry Bertrand, sent his father's uniform to Clarke.

"My father served in World War II and he had kept some of his memorabilia, his medals, some of his hats, his uniform," Bertrand said.

The uniform has been hanging in a closet since his father passed away in 1999. But when his wife, Nancy, heard the CBC story, she thought of sending him the uniform.

"His family was nice enough to send me pictures of him receiving and opening the package and it was nice to see how excited he was," Bertrand said.

"I probably got a little bit teary. It was very important to my father that young people especially should learn about and remember the war and remember the sacrifices that were made then so that we could enjoy the freedom and prosperity we have now and I think my father would have had a huge smile on his face if he would have been able to see that picture too."

I feel like everything is home now.— Marc Dugas

Anne Kozlowski's father trained as a pilot in the Second World War. He was training in Newfoundland and was all ready to ship out to the front when the war ended. Kozlowski said her father was disappointed not to make it over but she and her family always counted themselves lucky her father did not have to go to war.

"It was just really refreshing to hear someone so excited about something so old, it was just wonderful. It's nice to see that some people are preserving and protecting all that. It's just nice to see him be so interested."

Now residing in Stoney Creek, Ont., she sent Clarke some pilot notebooks that she collected.

"I think those pilot notebooks got handed off to the right person and I know that they will be well taken care of," she said.

"And I don't know if he is ever going to be in this area but I would like to think that maybe I perked his interest to go to the warplane museum and see the Lancaster. The Lancaster is just so impressive."

Clarke's dedication to remembering and honouring the past is what compelled Dugas to give the items to Clarke.

"Just the fact that he was interested in collecting it and preserving it and remembering the past, that was what made me think he would be the one to give this stuff to," Dugas said. "Part of me was almost shocked and surprised that there was somebody who was interested in doing that.

"I feel like everything is home now."

Clarke is as enthusiastic about adding to his collection and expressed his gratitude to all the people who sent him things from the Second World War.

"I feel very honoured and very happy that they were able to give me these things and I'm really happy that they were willing to ship these halfway across the country to get them to me and I'm really happy that they were able to entrust them to me," Clarke said.

"This is beyond awesome."