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One of our latest events took place in New Brunswick, at the end of November. I scanned and took pictures of different artefacts and mementos that the veterans kindly brought along with them. I would like to dedicate this article to one artefact in particular that touched me.

The first artefact presented to us during our event in Moncton was an original artefact brought by Mr. Kenneth Richardson, which he used during the war while towing away trucks and vehicles destroyed through combat. It was a SURVIVAL KIT given to soldiers during the war; a cardboard box upon which "dinner" was written in blue letters, and which contained a pack of crackers, some chocolate and some synthetic lemon juice. These food items were still intact 60 years after the war. This "type K" meal ration – a classification system implemented by the Americans at the onset of the war – also included cigarettes, matches, chewing gum (all of which Mr. Richardson undoubtedly used during his time of service). The kit was small enough that the soldiers could store it safely in their pocket.

These are objects that reflect that reality of the battlefield and which help us to better understand what the soldiers went through or, at least, that help us to imagine what their life was like during the war. This is the goal of The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War: to help youth, and others who never experienced the war, to understand what the generation of our grandparents experienced in order, ultimately, to better understand world history and society today. This is why we are asking veterans to share their mementos and photos with us so that the oral history of each of these heroes can be further enriched.