A small savings society in the city of Swansea, in southern Wales, recently received a completely unexpected letter that has sparked a wave of curiosity among the locals.
The letter in question is a Christmas postcard that arrived a staggering 121 years late. Dated back to 1903, it took over a century to reach its destination on Cradock Street.
The recipient listed on the postcard, Lydia Davies, is a mystery as there is no information available about her. Today, the address on the postcard is home to the Swansea Building Society, a housing savings institution.
An employee of the company, accustomed to receiving bills or mortgage-related documents, was the first to come across the postcard and described the moment as „exciting.“
„We thought about posting it on social media in case someone in the city could be connected to her, several generations later,“ explained Henry Darby, the company’s head of marketing and communications, in an interview with the BBC.
The stamp on the postcard is a clear indication of its age, featuring King Edward VII, the monarch of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India until his death in 1910.
The Swansea Building Society has issued a call to try to „shed light on this mystery“:
Calling All Aspiring Investigators! We just received a postcard at our Swansea HQ with the correct address, but it seems to have been delivered 121 years late! We need your help! Can anyone in the Swansea community (or beyond) shed light on this mystery?
The limited information extracted from the postcard reveals that the sender was a man named Ewart and the recipient was Lydia Davies.
In the message, Ewart expressed regret for not being able to collect a couple of unspecified items. He wished Lydia well and mentioned having about ten shillings in cash, enough to get by.
The postcard ended with „love to all“ (Swansea Building Society).
The discovery has raised more questions than answers, at least in the initial hours. According to Sky News, a relative of Davies, believed to be her great-niece, has reached out to the company to whom the postcard was delivered.
On the other hand, the Royal Mail has stated that it is likely the postcard was re-entered into the postal system rather than being lost for over a century.
„It’s fantastic to see so many positive comments about our mysterious postcard,“ praised the Swansea company, hoping to unravel the mystery soon.