He’s increased his collection of Second World War memorabilia and now he’s putting it on display for all to see. On March 25, Andrew Kelly will be holding a free exhibit of items from the war at Olds College’s Frank Grisdale Hall.
He’s increased his collection of Second World War memorabilia and now he’s putting it on display for all to see.
On March 25, Andrew Kelly will be holding a free exhibit of items from the war at Olds College’s Frank Grisdale Hall.
Since last October, Kelly has added to his cache, including a signed photograph of Omar Bradley, a U.S. Army officer who helped plan the D-Day invasion.
Other possessions that will be featured include army helmets, a Hitler Youth cup and banner, newspaper cartoons and radio broadcasts including German propaganda and North American newscasts.
"No matter where you're from, what part of the province you're from, or what part of Olds you're from, or Carstairs, etc, I think it would be a good experience for them to come out and jog people's memories," Kelly said. "They might remember a broadcast, a news broadcast and might trigger off a memory or something that might have happened, with stories to share with other people."
Kelly, who graduated from Olds College and now works at the school, amassed his collection from various websites and auctions. He said he’s invested about $6,000 to $7,000 into it.
The goal of the exhibit is to give Olds the chance to see some rare and unique items, he said.
One such artifact is a model of the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber that dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, signed by the plane’s pilot. It is one of only 500 in existence, Kelly said.
The show is also a chance to educate the public about the war, he continued.
"This is a great educational opportunity for the youth of today and of course for the people living in Olds, working in Olds to come on down and see something that ... they may not see again in their lifetime," he said.
The exhibit opens at 10 a.m.
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