A Letter Mailed Over 100 Years Ago Was Finally Delivered To Its Recipient: 'I'm Feeling Quite Ashamed Of Myself'

A letter sent in February 1916 was finally delivered to its destination 107 years later. 

The letter, which was written during World War I, arrived at a London address in 2021, reports the BBC. 

South-East London resident and theater director Finlay Glen received the letter two years ago and kept it in a drawer. Later, he involved his local historical society in learning more about the letter and found that it was from 1916.

"We were obviously pretty surprised and mystified as to how it could have been sat around for more than 100 years," Glen told the BBC. 

"It's an amazing piece of their family history that has turned up - if they want to, they can come round," Glen added. 

"There was something weirdly moving about it, looking into these people's lives. And that it was never delivered. I was shocked and curious about how it could have been sitting somewhere for 100 years," Glen told the South London Press. 

The Royal Mail said it was trying to understand why there was a delay in delivering the letter.

"Incidents like this happen very occasionally, and we are uncertain what happened in this instance. We appreciate that people will be intrigued by the history of this letter from 1916, but we have no further information on what might have happened," a spokesperson for Royal Mail told the South London Press. 

The letter was written to "my dear Katie", the wife of local stamp magnate Oswald Marsh, the BBC quoted Stephen Oxford, editor of the Norwood Review, saying.  

Oxford said that Marsh was a highly regarded stamp dealer who was often called an expert witness in cases of stamp fraud. 

The first sentence in the letter was written, "My dear Katie, will you lend me your aid — I'm feeling quite ashamed of myself after saying what I did at the circle."

The letter was written by Christabel Mennell, the daughter of a wealthy local tea merchant Henry Tuke Mennell, while on holiday in Bath.

In the letter, Mennell stated she felt "quite ashamed of myself after saying what I did", and that she had been feeling "miserable here with a very heavy cold", the BBC reported. 

"It's very unusual and actually quite exciting in terms of giving us a lead into local history and people who lived in Norwood, which was a very popular place for the upper middle classes in the late 1800s," Oxford added. 

The letter, bearing a penny George V stamp, was believed to be lost and forgotten in a local sorting office that had been closed for more than a century. However, a redevelopment at the site allowed the letter to resurface, Oxford told The Guardian.

Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated. 

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