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Foraging

Family Surprised To Find Glass Bottle Containing Century Old Letters From World War I Soldiers

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A family was surprised to find a glass bottle containing century-old letters from World War I soldiers. They made the discovery while cleaning up trash at an Australian beach.

Among the trash was an old bottle with old letters. World War I Australian soldiers had written the letters. More than 100 years later, they washed up on Wharton Beach, according to the Associated Press.

"We do a lot of cleaning up on our beaches and so would never go past a piece of rubbish. So this little bottle was lying there waiting to be picked up," Deb Brown told the AP.

The letters are historic artifacts. Private Malcom Alexander Neville wrote one letter to his mother at the time way back in 1916. Neville had been on the HMAT A70 Ballarat. He said the ship was "Heaving and Balling, but we are happy as Larry. Your loving Son, Malcolm." Instead of mailing the letter, he tossed it in a bottle into the sea. He had asked for whoever found the letter to deliver it to his mom.
Sadly, the bottle missed the mark by a 100 years. Neville never made it home. He was a part of the 48th Australian Infantry Battalion. Just a year after writing the letter, he died in France in battle.

World War I Letter

His wasn't the only letter in a bottle, though. Private William Kirk Harley also wrote a letter as well and placed it in the bottle. After the war, Harley survived and returned to Australia.

Brown plans to send the letters to the families of the two soldiers. William's granddaughter, Ann Turner, was surprised by the find. "We are all absolutely stunned. There are five grandchildren who are still alive," she said.

Meanwhile, Herbie Neville, Malcolm's great-nephew, was very touched by the letter. He said the family forever mourned his death.

"It sounds as though he was pretty happy to go to the war," Herbie said. "It's just so sad what happened. It's so sad that he lost his life." He added, "What a man he was."

Brown also noted the World War I letters were sad.

"This poor darling had gone off, not knowing what he was about to face, and he seemed quite chipper in the letter," she told ABC.