A young boy on a school assignment finds his name on an old tombstone with a puzzling inscription and discovers an old family mystery. When Rob Kelly was fourteen years old, his history teacher gave his class a very special assignment. He asked the students to go into the cemetery and take rubbings from soldiers’ gravestones!

The idea was to find gravestones from the wars — the first, and second world wars, and even the Civil War — to give the young people an idea of how the wars had impacted people’s lives throughout the generations. For Rob, it would lead to a very personal revelation. The Saturday after Mr. Ellis had given the kids the assignment, Rob and his best friend Tommy Holland went to the cemetery and started looking through the graves.

They made rubbings and noted when the men had been born, and the date of death often provided a clue. It was shocking to them to see how many young men had died very young, some only 18 or 19. Then Tommy exclaimed, “Hey Rob! Isn’t your real name Robson?” Rob frowned. “Yeah, it is. So what?” he asked. Rob had never liked his name and had often complained to his parents about it.

“You can blame your grandmother,” Rob’s mother would say crossly. “She insisted on that name. Some family tradition!””Well,” Tommy said. “I just found your grave!” Rob walked over to Tommy and looked down at a simple grave marker. It read: “Robson Matthew Kelly 1926 -1944” and underneath it said: “Give Him My Name.”

“Robson Matthew Kelly…” gasped Rob. “But that is my name, exactly!” “Man!” said Tommy shaking his head. “That’s messed up! That’s seriously CREEPY!”Rob did a rubbing of the grave and took a photo, and that afternoon, when he got home, he showed it to his mother. “Did you name me after some dead dude?” he asked.

Rob’s mom frowned. “Look, you’d better ask your dad,” she said. “His mother was the one who suggested your name. She said it was a family thing.” “But…” Rob shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense, cause dad’s name is Peter!” But Rob’s mom was out of patience. “Ask your grandmother,” she snapped. “I’ve got things to do!”

So Rob hopped onto his bike and cycled over to his grandmother Clarice’s house. She was delighted to see him and gave him a huge hug. “What a treat!” she cried. “Come on in!” Rob went in and sat down in the kitchen while his grandmother bustled around fixing him a sandwich. “Gran,” he said. “I had a history assignment, and we had to do rubbings from graves, and I found this…”

He took out his cellphone and showed his grandmother the photo of Robson Matthew Kelly’s grave. “And look, it says ‘Give Him My Name.'”Rob was stunned when he saw his grandmother start to cry. Suddenly, she looked her age, which he knew was in the nineties. (Gran was vain and never told anyone her birthdate).

“Oh, Rob,” she said quietly. “How I desire… I suppose this is a story you should be aware of. I was madly in love with Robson Matthew Kelly when I was fifteen. You should’ve seen him! ” He was eighteen years old and quite daring! He’d enlisted on his birthday and was very proud of his attire. He told me he was going to save the world and then return to marry me when I became sixteen.

“However, six months later, he returned blind and without his legs.” He was severely injured! And because he couldn’t see me, Rob, I would sit in the hospital and hold his hand and talk to him. He had no idea that tears were streaming down my cheeks. They said he wouldn’t make it. There were shrapnel fragments inside him, close to his heart. One of them would move one day…

“The issue is, Rob was aware of it. ‘Penny, I will never live the life I imagined with you, but please, one day, give your boy my name…don’t let me be forgotten,’ he urged. ” Oh, I sobbed… Rob died three days later. I was heartbroken because he had left. His younger brother Peter was equally distraught, and I suppose our suffering brought us together.

“We fell in love and married, but Peter was constantly envious of Rob.” He was always second best. He was correct in his belief that if Rob had survived, I would have married him instead.” However, I adored your grandfather. Anyway, it took a long time for us to have a child. When your papa was born, I was forty-five years old, and it was a dreadful ordeal. I had a cesarean section and was sick for two weeks.

“When I was fully awake and conscious, your grandfather told me he’d called your father Peter after himself.” “I was furious, as if he’d taken something from me and Robson.” But… done was done, and I suppose I understood why. So, when you were born, I requested that your father name you Robson Matthew Kelly after his uncle, who died when he was young.” Your father complied, and your grandfather was enraged, even after all these years.

But I kept my promise to Rob and gave you his name; he will never be forgotten.” Rob’s grandmother then got up and went upstairs. When she returned, she was carrying a velvet bag. She placed it on the table and opened it to reveal a beautiful gold pocket watch and chain. Grandma Penny turned the watch over and pointed out the inscription on the back: Robson Mattew Kelly. “It was HIS watch, Rob, and he gave it to me for his namesake.” I hope you keep it as a reminder of a brave young guy who meant a lot to me.”