121-Year-Old Postcard Mysteriously Delivered to Swansea Building Society

Staff at Swansea Building Society were taken aback when their usual delivery of savings and mortgage paperwork included an artefact from the past – a postcard dating back 121 years.

The “spooky” discovery comes just a year after the building society celebrated its 100th anniversary, making the postcard even older than the institution itself, by two decades.

The postcard, addressed to a woman in Swansea, Wales, has intrigued both staff and the public alike. Henry Darby, the company’s marketing and communications officer, shared his excitement about the unexpected find, describing it as both “exciting” and “a little bit spooky.”

Stonehenge came from even further than Wales “It’s like holding a piece of history in your hands,” Darby remarked. “It feels like an antique, something that belongs in a museum. People on our social media are buzzing with interest, sharing stories and memories about the city’s rich history.”

The postcard’s message offers a charming glimpse into life over a century ago. It reads: “Dear L. I could not, it was not possible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about 10/- (shillings) as pocket money not including the train fare so I am doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John. With love to all from Ewart.”

Interestingly, a relative of the postcard’s intended recipient has since reached out to the building society, adding a personal connection to this extraordinary find. The incident has sparked curiosity about how the postcard managed to remain undelivered for more than a century, and the story continues to unfold as more details come to light.

Next time you feel frustrated by slow post, remember this story, as it’s an example of true snail mail!

Had no idea about fishways/fish ladders (and a few other synonyms). Still learning something new every day.

Yay, a fellow 'partner in crime'!

I use quirky stories like this to learn something new, just to do that... follow some odd trailhead. The peculiar and often amusing contexts really help me to retain the information. I never know when they'll connect up. This type of adventure is not for everyone, even though it's really just a few minutes here and there. It takes me many times longer to type up an explanation.

So I went to a map to check out where Swansea was located.

I hadn't even gotten around to the 'fishway' part yet. Fishquay Pen?🤠

But I did learn the meanings of the names Ewart and Cradock (the latter being like David: beloved), and the letter was sent to a girl surnamed 'Davies', the son of David.

And I already knew that the patron saint of Wales is Saint David.

Plus I've had the tagline for a long while. The Mars symbol for 'every man' is generated by the ALT 11 code.

Then the weird part is that yesterday before I saw this story, I had been reviewing an old study about the verse where David goes missing, but the KJV says he's there.

It's always something.. and it really adds up too, over time. People really miss out.

(That trail had led me right to Michelangelo's David, the most famous statue in the world, because all those museum pieces have inventory numbers. This stuff is way more literal and entertaining than anyone might suspect.)

On the front is a black-and-white illustration of a stag near a frozen lake with the words "The Challenge" in the lower left corner.

How to cross over.

Maybe that's why the "art" in Ewart is double-underlined. The timing (late summer) of "The Challenge" image of the deer on a snowy field (stag with fallen snags) reminded me of:

Proverbs 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

“The houses were bombed in World War II, and that’s where our office was then built,” he said. “It just happened to be that the address was retained.”

That happened to the house in the movie “The Time Machine” with Rod Taylor and mmm. Yvette Mimiex

I wonder was that a movie or a documentary....?

I think at the end they asked the question what 3 books and a postcard would you take to the future... : )

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.