A WORLD War Two artefact which came from the battleship ‘USS Missouri’ at the time when the Japanese signed the peace treaty signalling their surrender is on its way from Moray to Hawaii.

Moray artefact USS Missouri-bound

An ashtray bearing the name ‘USS Missouri’ was acquired by a Royal Navy Lieutenant, William (Arthur) Mant, who took pictures at the ceremony on board the battleship in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

It has been in the possession of his nephew, Kevin Mant, at his Lossiemouth home since Arthur’s death four years ago. The ashtray, old pictures and other memorabilia had languished in a desk drawer at Arthur’s home in Lincolnshire for almost 70 years.

Kevin, a former RAF Lossiemouth serviceman, researched the history of the ‘USS Missouri’, which ultimately led him to talk to the curator of the ship in Hawaii.

"The ashtray seems to have been made from part of a used artillery shell, possibly by a sailor on board, and is now deemed to be an American naval war artefact," he said.

Kevin has agreed to send the ashtray and other items to be put on display aboard the ‘USS Missouri’, which is now docked in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, alongside the ‘USS Arizona’, the sinking of which during the Japanese attack brought America into the war.

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