Christmas postcard penned by 16-year-old is finally delivered to the right address — after 121 years

When we send a letter or a postcard, we expect it to arrive within a couple of days. In fact, according to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the average delivery time for mail and packages across the nation was 2.8 days during the fourth week of the second quarter of fiscal year 2024. With systems this efficient, even a delay of a week can feel unusual. However, this one postcard recently delivered in Wales has challenged the very idea of timely delivery — by showing up 121 years late.

The card arrived at Swansea Building Society’s Cradock Street branch last week, as per the BBC. It was a Christmas-themed postcard bearing a snowy reindeer illustration, addressed to Miss Lydia Davies, originally sent in 1903. The postcard, written by someone named Ewart and addressed to "L," contains a short message apologizing for not being able to pick up a "pair" of something, although the reference is unclear. "I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home," he wrote. Ewart mentioned he had "about 10 shillings in pocket money, not counting the train fare, so I am doing alright." He signed off with, "Remember me to (Mssrs) Gilbert and John, with love to all."

Henry Darby, who works in marketing and communications at Swansea Building Society, discovered the card while sorting through the incoming mail. Speaking about the discovery, he said, "So we thought we’d pop it on our social media and thought maybe someone locally may be connected to her, a few generations down." Curious about the intended recipient, the team sought more information. Andrew Dully, an archivist from West Glamorgan Archives, found a historical record of a John F. Davies residing at the same address in the early 1900s. He lived there with his wife, Maria, and six children. "The oldest of them was Lydia. She would have been 16 when this postcard was sent," Dully explained.

Further research shared by Swansea Building Society revealed that Ewart, the writer of the card, was just 13 years old at the time and happened to be Lydia's brother. The reference to not being able to "get the pair of these" is now believed to mean that he was unable to acquire a pair of postcards to send. The Royal Mail offered a possible explanation for the late delivery. A spokesperson said, "It is likely that this postcard was put back into our system rather than being lost in the post for over a century. When an item is in our system, we are under an obligation to deliver it to the correct address."  After the social media post was published, several members came forward, recognizing names and details.

Multiple descendants of Lydia and Ewart met for the first time as part of a special segment for BBC Breakfast, updates of which were shared in a follow-up post by Swansea Building Society. Each of them had travelled from different parts of the UK to meet relatives they had never known existed. Mr. Davies described the experience as "extraordinary," calling it a kind of family reunion born from a single postcard. Despite its age, the postcard remained in good condition. The building society continues to share the story in hopes of finding someone connected to the Davies family. The now-famous postcard will be preserved at the West Glamorgan Archive, where both family members and the public can view it.