Unexpected Delivery: Postcard Sent 121 Years Ago Final arrives at Swansea Building Society

In a time when next-day deliveries are the norm, staff at the Swansea Building Society were bewildered to receive a postcard dated 1903, which arrived 121 years late at their Cradock Street office, The Guardian reported. This historic postcard, featuring a work titled "The Challenge" by 19th-century English animal painter Edwin Henry Landseer, was intended for Lydia Davies. It's believed Lydia would have been 16 years old when she was supposed to receive it.

Henry Darby, the building society's marketing and communications officer, was amazed by the delivery and disclosed efforts to trace Lydia Davies' descendants or those of the sender, who signed only as Ewart. "The goal is to return the postcard to someone connected to Lydia so it can be a cherished keepsake passed down through generations," he said.

The postcard, bearing a half-penny stamp with a portrait of Edward VII, miraculously arrived on 16 August without an envelope or note. Staff and social media users helped translate Ewart’s message, which mentioned difficulties in locating a "pair" of an undisclosed item and talked about his pocket money.

Census records indicate that in 1901, Lydia lived on Cradock Street with her parents and five siblings. She later married a man from London, hinting that her family might have relocated, complicating the search for her descendants.

Though surprising, this puzzling event remained a delightful mystery, as Darby remarked it's unclear exactly how the postcard resurfaced at the building society. The Royal Mail speculates that the postcard was reintroduced into their system rather than remaining lost for over a century, hence their obligation to deliver it once found.

"It's both fascinating and a bit eerie," Darby reflected. Despite its long journey, the postcard was correctly delivered to its original intended address at 11 Cradock Street, now home to the Swansea Building Society.

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