I am trying to trace the whereabouts of some World War 2 artefacts of historical and personal significance. The artefacts were last known to be in the possession of a girls' school (name unknown) in Bristol UK immediately after the War, but enquiries with the schools and local museums and historical societies have turned up no result.

The artefacts are:

1. an aircraft wheel salvaged from the sea after a Kamikaze attack;

2. a ship's ensign of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary; and,

3. a silver cup commemorating the engagement in which the aircraft was shot down, and dedicating the artefacts to the girls' school which had sponsored the ship's crew under the "Comforts From Home" scheme.

The provenance of the artefacts is as follows.

Towards the end of the war in the Pacific, my father was serving aboard the MS Diloma, a British tanker of 12,000 tons which was then operating under the flag of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Early one afternoon, the convoy of which Diloma was a part came to anchor off an island recently liberated by the American advance. In accordance with usual practice, the Diloma anchored some miles away from the main body of the convoy. Subsequently a message was received that a wounded American aircraft was trying to make the island; on approaching, the pilot would turn on his navigation lights as a 'friendly' signal; on no account should the convoy fire on this aircraft.

Shortly after, an aircraft did indeed appear over the horizon. However, it did not switch on its lights, and, as it approached nearer, it abruptly changed course to head straight for Diloma. Diloma's captain decided to shoot first and ask questions afterwards.

The ship defended itself successfully and the aircraft was shot down, but it was a close-run thing. The aircraft fell into the sea so close by that some of the crew were sure a wingtip had grazed the ship's side. That may have been a slight exaggeration, but a number of fragments definitely rebounded from the ship's plating. A wheel was spotted floating nearby, was recovered, and found to be marked with Japanese characters.

(That night my father sneaked into the space where the wheel was stored and 'liberated' a part of the wheel rim, which he subsequently used as a frame for a contemporary picture of himself in uniform. I still have this, and, if the artefacts turn out to be in a museum, I'd be happy to donate it to the collection).

I believe there was a suggestion the ship's company might be honoured by the US Government (a Presidential Citation perhaps?), but I don't know if this came to anything.

A commemorative cup was commissioned and, together with the aircraft wheel and the ensign the ship was flying at the time of the engagement, presumably arrived at the school in due course.

My father died quite recently and might, possibly, have been the last survivor of this engagement, so you can imagine that I will be very grateful for any information.