Postcard arrives after 120 years and represents exemplary fulfillment of duty by the post

Apparently, it was a very long journey for a small postcard. But the story behind it is simply: pure reliability.

Was the postcard really on its way for 120 years? The story behind the postcard that arrived in the mailbox of a house in Wales, United Kingdom, in early August 2024, began about 120 years ago.

As detailed here on smithsonianmag.com, in 1903, someone named Ewart, who lived in the community of Fishguard on the Welsh west coast, sent a postcard to Lydia Davies. She lived in a house on Cradock Street, number 11, in Swansea.

The locality is about 50 kilometers away on the south coast of Wales. Today, however, no one lives there; it is the headquarters of a construction company.

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How do we know the date it was mailed? Strictly speaking, we don’t know that, but based on the postage stamp and postmark, we know when the postcard first had contact with a post office: it was stamped “AU23 03.” Henry Darby, an employee of the company now located at the address in Swansea, infers from that and the design of the stamp that:

August 23, 1903, and depicted on it is King Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910. He is the great-great-grandfather of the current King Charles III. Tracy Coleman, a specialist from the Royal Philatelic Society London, agrees with this classification. The postcard has fine handwriting that reads:

Dear L. I couldn’t, it was impossible to get the pair off. I am so sorry, but I hope you are well at home. I now have about ten [shillings] pocket money, not counting the train ticket, so I am fine. Please greet Miss Gilbert and also John from me, with love to all, Ewart.

What this is all about remains unknown.

The front of the postcard is also pleasing. The printed painting was created by the British painter Edwin Henry Landseer in the 19th century. Image source: Henry Darby

Who was Lydia Davies? 121 years ago, the area in Swansea where the postcard arrived was a residential area. Now, thanks to collected information from registration data and responses under a post from the company on Facebook, at least a rough picture has emerged:

Once, a certain John F. Davies, occupation tailor, lived at the address with his wife, Maria A Davies, and six children. Lydia was the oldest child of the two and probably 16 years old when the postcard was written. Ewart Davies was likely 13 in 1903. He might have been a cousin of Lydia. His father worked as a tailor according to data from the 1901 census. It could have been a family tradition that both brothers followed.

Whether Lydia Davies ever received the postcard from Ewart, we do not know. But perhaps the postcard will (again) find its way back to her family. Because under the Facebook post, a supposed great-niece of Lydia has reported. Whether that is true remains uncertain as of September 5, 2024. Henry Darby from the construction company in Swansea is, however, looking into finding a home for the card.

How did the postcard get to Swansea in 2024? By post, as it should be. Because this process, according to experts from the British royal mail, is nothing unusual.

Because real postcards from the past like this one could be purchased as mementos, souvenirs, or as historical documents in many shops in the United Kingdom.

Someone probably had the fun of seeing what happens when they buy an old card in an antique shop and drop it in a mailbox. From there, everything followed the correct procedure: