LONDON, August 21. /TASS/. The building society of the city of Swansea in Wales has received a postcard that was sent 121 years ago, Sky News reported.
According to the channel, the postcard was sent to someone named Lydia Davies in August 1903. The postage stamp depicts King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1901-1910). The Swansea Building Society (a bank that finances construction) was established only 100 years ago, so the channel believes that their office building was a residence in the past.
Community spokesman Henry Darby called the incident "a little bit spooky." According to him, the institution has been contacted by a woman who is presumably the grand-niece of the addressee, but the fate of the postcard has not yet been decided. "It's come back into our ownership and we want to make sure it gets to the right place, be it the local archive, or if possible Lydia's surviving family," Darby told the TV channel.
The Building Society believes the postcard may have gotten lost in some building and then found during renovation work. However, a Royal Mail spokesman said it is likely that the postcard has only now been "put back into [its] system rather than being lost in the post for over a century," without explaining how this could have technically happened.
The postcard, sent from the town of Fishguard in Wales, contains a message the meaning of which is not entirely clear without its context. "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," the postcard says.