A letter that was supposed to be delivered to its destination a century ago, has finally been delivered now. The letter was originally sent in 1916, at its intended address in Hamlet Road, south London. The owner of the house, Glen received the letter after a century, but recently took it to the local historical society, so that further research can be done. Finally, Glen told CNN, “We noticed that the year on it was ’16. So we thought it was 2016.” He added that he noticed that there was a stamp of a King and not a Queen, so he felt that it couldn’t have been 2016.
The envelope has a 1 Pence stamp bearing the head of King George V, which indicates that the letter was sent during the middle of the first world war.
Glen, 27, who lives with his girlfriend, said that once they realised that the letter is old, they felt it was okay to open it. Though, as per the Postal Services 2000, it’s a crime to open mail not addressed to you. But Glen said that he can only apologise if he has committed a crime.
He handed the letter over to a local magazine, Norwood Review. Editor of the magazine, Stephen Oxford, said, “As a local historian, I am amazed and delighted to have the details of the letter passed to me.”
Oxford said that the letter was addressed to “my dear katie.” He added that the letter was written by Christabel Mennel, daughter of tea merchant Henry Tuke Mennel, while her family was on bath in Western England, where Mennel writes, “I’ve been most miserable here with a very heavy cold.”
The magazine is currently producing a full report on the letter. Yet it’s still a mystery as to how it arrived at Glen’s residence.
(with inputs from agencies)
