Herb Tollefson sitting in the cockpit of a Douglas C-124 Globemaster. Photo provided by Steve Tollefson

An American war veteran, who travelled to Malta aged 95 and later donated his uniform to be displayed at the war museum, had one last surprise up his sleeve.

The late Herb Tollefson first spoke to this newspaper in 2013 while looking for wartime friends on the island. He served in Malta in World War II to repair aircraft.

Through an appeal in the Times of Malta, he had met the son of his friend and late police sergeant, John Mifsud, and relatives of the Borg family who used to serve food at the Melita Bar at the Ferries, in Sliema.

WATCH: A tiny picture that told a story after 70 long years

When he returned a year later to donate his uniform – the first of the sort for the national collection – Heritage Malta conservators were in for a surprise. A small photograph of the American soldier’s sweetheart and future wife had survived seven decades and was still in his visor’s cap.

It so happened that one of the first people to learn about the discovery was Queen Elizabeth herself when visiting Heritage Malta’s conservation division at Bighi during her trip in 2015.

Old blasting caps, dating back to the 1950s, were discovered in the barn of the late Herb Tollefson. Photo provided by Steve Tollefson

Mr Tollefson, 98, passed away less than two years later, February 28 of this year, at his home in Tacoma, Washington.

This time around, it was his son’s turn to be surprised.

Steve Tollefson had always wondered what he would find in his father’s barn when it was time to clean it up.

He found old blasting caps, dating back to the 1950s, and called the local sheriff to help dispose of them. As the devices were too old and unstable, the bomb squad was called in to detonate them on site. The detonation was broadcast during a brief Kiro 7 newscast, in which Steve Tollefson said he would always be proud of his decorated father.

Mr Tollefson said that his father was an ordinary man with extraordinary stories “and now we can say he truly went out with a bang”.

Herb Tollefson’s US Army air corps uniform. Photo: Jason Borg