Messages in a bottle, written by two Australian soldiers in 1916, have been discovered along the south-western coast of Australia over a century later. These notes were created shortly after the soldiers began their journey to join the battlefields of France during World War One. One soldier, Pte Malcolm Neville, wrote to his mother about the pleasant food on board and expressed their happiness. He was later killed in action at age 28. The other soldier, Pte William Harley, who was 37 at the time of writing, survived the war and returned home.
The bottle was found at Wharton Beach, near Esperance, by a local resident named Deb Brown and her family. They were engaged in a litter cleanup when they noticed a thick glass bottle in the sand. Despite the paper being wet, both letters were still readable, prompting Ms. Brown to find the soldiers’ descendants to return the messages.
Using the soldiers’ names and the address listed in Pte Neville’s note, Ms. Brown contacted Pte Neville’s great-nephew, Herbie Neville. He described the experience as “unbelievable” for his family, particularly for Marian Davies, Pte Neville’s niece, who had memories of her uncle’s departure for war. The second letter, written by Pte Harley, was addressed to the finder. With Pte Harley’s mother already deceased, his granddaughter, Ann Turner, found the message deeply emotional. She remarked on the contrast between the two letters, noting that one was addressed to a mother while the other reached out to whoever might find it.
Pte Harley’s letter indicated that the bottle had been thrown overboard “somewhere in the Bight,” referring to the Great Australian Bight. An oceanography professor mentioned that the bottle may have only spent a few weeks at sea before ending up on Wharton Beach, where it might have remained buried for around 100 years.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyg6pny0e8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss