Message in a Bottle from WWI Discovered in Australia
A father and daughter from Western Australia recently stumbled upon a century-old message in a bottle, originally sent by a soldier during World War I, on October 9.
Peter Brown and his daughter, Felicity, found a Schweppes bottle with letters floating near Wharton Beach, close to Esperance. They were actually cleaning up the beach when they made the intriguing discovery, as reported by CBS News.
The letter inside was penned by Privates Malcolm Neville and William Hurley of the 48th Australian Infantry Battalion on August 15, 1916. The two men left Australia for the war on August 12, 1916, aboard the HMAT A70 Ballarat. Tragically, Neville was killed in action, while Hurley returned home and later passed away from cancer in 1934.
Neville’s letter was directed to his mother, asking whoever found it to send it to her. In contrast, Hurley expressed that anyone who discovered his note could keep it. He even wrote, “I hope the discoverer is as healthy as we are today,” which is a touching sentiment.
Despite the letter being wet, its contents remained legible, which enabled Deb Brown to trace the families of both soldiers, according to another report by ABC News.
“The bottle is in beautiful condition. No barnacles! If it had been in the ocean or exposed for long, the paper would have fallen apart in sunlight. We wouldn’t have been able to read it,” Brown remarked.
Using Facebook, Brown managed to find Neville’s great-nephew, Harvey. He described the whole experience as “unbelievable.”
“It’s amazing how much has come to light from World War I in such a short span,” he added.
Ann Turner, granddaughter of Mr. Turner, echoed similar surprise. “We’re all really surprised. We still have five grandchildren,” she mentioned while speaking with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“We’ve all been in constant contact since this happened, and it feels just unbelievable,” she added.
Deb Brown expressed her relief that someone from the community found the jar containing Neville’s and Hurley’s letters, calling it a significant discovery.
