That's a great love story," said Raphael's granddaughter Rachael Schones-Dunlap.Ī love that lives on in words written and carved.Īnd a family that feels a little closer to the father and grandfather they loved. "He put her name on that canteen and then came home to marry her. She was just his girlfriend then, but already in his heart. Raphael passed in 2015, his wife Ragine in 2017.īut their love endures in many ways, like the dozens of love letters Raphael wrote to Ragine while he was overseas.Īnd of course, Ragine is on the canteen. "It reminds us of old times again, when he was here," said his son Ray Schones. But it's back home now, and with it, a lot of emotions. Louis, and their dad never even told them it existed. The family said they have no idea how the canteen ended up in St.
Raphael served in World War II and etched the names of his many stops on his canteen. His granddaughter Rachael made the 600-mile drive to St. Louis by a man walking on a sandbar by the Mississippi River.Īmong the words etched into it, "Canute, Okla" and "Raphael Schones."Įnough of a lead for the man to track down the rightful owners, which are Raphael's family in Canute. Mobberley photos by Mike Turner PhotographyĪbove is the church that stands across the road from the school.A WWII Canteen's Long Journey Home To OklahomaĪ canteen was discovered last month in St. But great to see the school is still thriving after so many years. Somewhat different to when dad was there. This is the school where Dad was educated while staying in Mobberley. They were brought ashore dead, or they died on the beach. For 639 Poles this was the end of the journey. Approximately 115,000 people boarded creaking barges at Krasnovodsk and chugged across the Caspian Sea to the Iranian port of Anzali. Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography General Anders led the Poles across the Soviet frontier in the spring of 1942. This is Victory Hall where the children, including my Dad were brought to and chosen by kind local families, to look after during their stay. Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography Below are a few photos taken from our visit. Rosie the Riveter: Real Women Workers during World War II - Sheridan Harvey, Womens Studies Specialist at. We took a trip to check the area out and looked at a few of the important landmarks involved in Dad’s stay. I emailed them and was surprised to get a quick response from a very kind gentleman who gave me some information about which schools in Manchester the children had come from, the venue they were chosen by the local families of Mobberley at, and which school they attended during their stay. I decided to do a bit of research and found this website which has some interesting information about the history of Mobberley.
She didn’t know much about the area, only that it was a long way to cycle. He was living on a farm there, due to being evacuated out of Manchester at the start of the second world war in 1939. She was telling me the other day about cycling from home in Stretford Manchester to the leafy Cheshire countryside of Mobberley to visit my father, who was then an 8 years old boy. I’m still lucky to be able to chat with my 96 years old Auntie, who loves to talk about stories of my dad, her younger brother. I love a good story, I used to sit and listen to my grandad tell stories about his life as a young man, particularly throughout the second world war. Mobberley photos by Mike Turner Photography
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