Homeowners uncover WWII memorabilia in Saskatoon

A Saskatoon couple was renovating their first house together when they uncovered a hidden gem from the early 1940’s.

Andrew Boryski and his wife Erin purchased an older home intending to preserve the architectural features and character of it. What they didn’t intend was finding a fully intact Star Weekly newspaper from the Second World War.

“Pretty amazed that it was in such good condition, that the colours were just beautiful and they were very much preserved,” Boryski said. “Going through it was just such a wonderful snapshot of August 1942.”

Boryski said they found it above one of their closets.

“The paper was re-purposed and used to keep the cold out,” Boryski said. Adding it was the first layer of insulation and there could be more in the house.

Boryski said they wanted to preserve the piece of history and share it with the world. On Nov. 10, he posted the full newspaper on Reddit where it began a conversation of remembrance.

An add sparked one user to comment, “I ate Moffats as a kid … they were hockey puck sized crunchy wheat things, totally tasteless.”

Boryski took the time to remember his Grandfather who was a soldier in Second World War while looking at the newspaper.

“It’s just another great reminder of not only my grandfather but the magazines are a special keepsake to remember not only just our home Reno but great Canadian history,” Boryski said.

He added it gave him shivers to think of people younger than him going off to war in a foreign place.

“Be thankful for their sacrifices to give us the world that we live in today,” he said.

Boryski is hoping the people featured in the paper or their families will see the images.

“It would be nice if it got shared well enough that some people would come forward and say ‘Hey I know who this is or who that is,’” Boryski said.

He’s also quite certain there are other memorabilia hidden in the walls of his home and will be taking a closer look once spring hits.