Monday, December 1, 2014

One Solved On Monday Mysteries...!

While most of the time we have some unsolved or lingering mystery hereon Monday, I thought you would like a change of pace.

It isn't often that we get to read about a family mystery being solved after such a long time, so this makes for a nice study.

Bluejacket Boy

This touching mystery has the distinction of having finally been solved. In 1949, a woman living in Kirkwall, a town on the Orkney Islands, found a letter behind her fireplace. She had no idea how it had ended up there, but it looked very old and was addressed to Wales. When she opened it, she saw that it was dated 1916. The author had signed simply as “Bluejacket Boy.”

The letter seemed to be a general update on family life. The author wrote about a toddler named Ethel, and the description suggests she was his niece. Bluejacket Boy also referenced a sister named Hannah. The addressee was a man named John Phillips. In November 2013, historians from the Orkney Archive made a public request for help in the Welsh town the letter was intended to reach.

Internet sleuths were able to track down a woman named Mary Hodge, who turned out to be the granddaughter of the Bluejacket Boy. His name was David John Phillips, and he’d been stationed on Orkney with the navy during World War I. He married a local woman, whose family lived on the street where the letter was found, before the two of them moved to Wales to start a family. In 2014, 98 years later, the letter was finally delivered.

Now after reading this story from Listverse, how could anyone say that the Internet isn't good for something? Here is a case where the collective folks on the 'Net teamed up and solved a long time real life mystery. I'm sure the family was grateful!

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

6 comments:

Mamahen said...

Nice little "feel good" story to start the week...thank you!!! Juat what I needed this morning :))

linda m said...

That is so nice to read about a happy ending. i have found the internet to be a wealth of information and very helpful. Thank you for starting off my week on a positive note.

JO said...

good story with a nice ending.

It must be nice and warm there it isn't very warm here and will be getting cooler . Must get that camping trip in next week or I won't be getting out for quite sometime with the cold coming in.

Pass the pot please.

Dizzy-Dick said...

And they lived happily ever after. . . Or I hope so.

Anonymous said...

Nice with a solved mystery.
Yes internet can be fantastic sometimes bou oh so nasty otyer times.

Have a great day!
Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
We all need a story like this once in a while!

Tanks for coming over today!



Hey Linda M...
Sorta makes it seem like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Jo...
Better go camping before you get snowed in. Stay warm!

Thanks, sweetie, for stopping by today!



Hey Dizzy...
We can only hope, right? It would be nice.

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Christer...
Sort of a beast with two faces, I guess.

I appreciate you coming over this morning!