Purple Hearts Reunited (www.purpleheartsreunited.org) received a letter this week in the mail from a Mr. David Watson in New Zealand, which contained a dog tag and three letters.

David informed PHR of the following: "Private Leslie "Les" Todd of Great Barrier Island was in the 36th Battalion, 3rd Division of N.Z, Army. With his division he arrived on Guadalcanal August 1943 and Mono Island in the Treasuries Group - to engage Japanese troops". "Now here are 2 sentences from a Barrier history book published in 1994". A quote……. " Les Todd was a natural fossicker and while on Guadalcanal in September 1943 he spent some time searching through abandoned Japanese bunkers and it was on one of these strong points on the slopes of Mt Austin that he found the identification discs or dog tags of a U.S. marine who had been listed as "missing". He passed them on to the appropriate authority and in due course received an acknowledgement of thanks from the U.S. Command."

The Dog Tags belonged to Private (PVT) Stanley W. Kownacki (Service Number: 33159657) who was born on 17 April 1917 to Konstanty and Sylvia Kownacki. He enlisted on 26 FEB 1942. Assigned to 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, F Company, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, he was Killed in Action on 15 January 1943 on Mount Austin, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. His awards consist of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and WWII Victory Medal.

After finding the Dog Tag, PVT Todd wrote to PVT Kownacki's family using the address on the tag around 1943-44, informing him of his find and intent to mail it to them. However, for some reason, he never followed through. PVT Kownacki's mother and sisters wrote to PVT Todd several times over the next three years, pleading that he respond and send the tag. I have attached pictures of one of those letters and it brought me to tears reading it. I have quickly transcribed it below:

Dear Mr. Todd,

Nearly two years ago you wrote my Mother a letter, about finding my brother Stanley's Identity Discs around Mt. Austin. We were very glad to receive it and hoped to hear from you again. Two of my sisters have written to you, but not answer has been received. We received only one telegram saying he was killed in action. But when or where it happened could not be told until after the war. Many families have received such information, as yet we haven't. If you till have these tags of Stanley's won't you please try and send them to me or my mother. No matter what it costs, we shall be more than pleased to pay the expense and for all your trouble. I suppose you cannot understand why we keep writing to you about the same thing. The reason is this: Mother and Dad are not young and Stanley was their only son. Besides him they're was four daughters including myself. Nearly every day they read his letters and talk about him and hope some day he might come home. Yet every time they read your letter they do not know what to think. Their one hope is - if they could only hold those identity disc's in their hands it would be like holding his hand, for we know he must have worn them all through the battle. This may sound silly-but sometimes they wonder if you are Stanley writing to us under a different name. I wish that last sentence were true. I pray to God that you receive this letter and answer it-even if you have nothing much to write-write only a little so we can make our parents understand. If anyone else receives this letter won't you please write us a few lines. God Bless you and Thank You, Sincerely Yours, Miss Kownacki.

I'm not sure if we will ever understand or know why PVT Todd didn't send them. Unfortunately, he passed in 2004. Mr. Watson has since come into possession of the tags and letters, and thanks to a BBC interview, they learned about Purple Hearts Reunited and sent PHR the items. After a few hours of research, PHR located PVT Kownacki's sister, still alive in her 90s. The letters and dog tag are being returned to Pvt. Kownacki's sister and family to hold once more!

Stanley W Kownacki