A letter has finally been delivered to its destination – more than a century after it was written.
Sent in February 1916, the correspondence arrived at its intended address in Hamlet Road, south London, much to the bewilderment of the current occupants.
“We noticed that the year on it was ’16. So we thought it was 2016,” Finlay Glen told CNN Thursday. “Then we noticed that the stamp was a King rather than a Queen, so we felt that it couldn’t have been 2016.”
Glen told CNN that the letter arrived at the property a couple of years ago, but he has only recently taken it to the local historical society, so they can research it further.
The envelope has a 1 pence stamp bearing the head of King George V. The letter was sent in the middle of World War I – more than a decade before Queen Elizabeth II was born.
“Once we realized it was very old, we felt that it was okay to open up the letter,” said Glen, 27.
Under the Postal Services Act 2000, it is a crime to open mail not addressed to you. But Glen said he can “only apologize” if he’s committed a crime.
After realizing that the letter may be of historical interest, he gave it to the Norwood Review, a local quarterly magazine.
I – Word Understanding
Bewilderment – a state of being lost or confused
Pence – plural for penny; a penny is a 1 cent coin
II – Have Your Say
1, How good is the service of your country’s post office?
What services do you usually use or avail?
2, What is your theory about this letter that arrived a century later?
3, How do you feel about letter writing compared to our modern ways of messaging?
