Sailor's letter arrives a century later and delivered to WWI seaman's great granddaughter

Daily Mail ^ | February 23, 2014

[NYer]

A forgotten letter from a mystery First World War sailor has found its way to his granddaughter after almost a century. The note dated 1916 was discovered behind a fireplace in Kirkwall, Orkney, and signed ‘Your Blue Jacket Boy’. Addressed to the serviceman’s family, it was sealed and stamped but never posted.

Staff at Orkney Library hoped to identify the letter writer and launched an appeal on their blog. The hunt spread to Canada, where a distant relative suggested the sailor might be David John Phillips from Llanelli, South Wales.

The relative contacted Mary Hodge in Chester, who recognised the writer as her grandfather. Now she is planning a visit to Orkney to collect the letter addressed to her great-grandparents 98 years ago. Mrs Hodge said: ‘I have shared ancestry with my friend in Canada, so he keeps an eye on the Orkney Library & Archive blog. 'He called me and said, “Get in touch with Orkney Library – I’ve seen a post on their blog and I’m sure it’s about your grandfather”. ‘I knew instantly it was my grandfather – I recognised the name and address It was a mixture of high emotion, shock and disbelief.’

[zot]

Your post # 8 is a great story! Congratulations! It was a timely inspiration to contact the funeral home.

[Bigg Red]

Your wonderful story gave me goosebumps.