We picked this up from the Sky News website. It was written by Tomos Evans, Wales reporter, on 21 August.
When staff at a building society in Swansea received their mail on Friday, they were surprised by what they discovered. In among their usual savings and mortgage-related deliveries was a postcard dating back more than 120 years.
Swansea Building Society celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, but the card predates its establishment by another couple of decades. Henry Darby, the society’s marketing and communications officer, told Sky News the unexpected arrival was “exciting”. “It’s a little bit spooky, I’m not a huge fan of touching it because it feels like an antique. It feels like it needs to be in Perspex or something,” he said. “But there’s lots of great stories on our socials, lots of comments we’re getting, and people clearly really passionate about the city and what it once was and what stories there are to be unlocked.”
The message on the card reads: “Dear L. I could not, it was not possible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about 10/- [shillings] as pocket money not including the train fare so I am doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John. With love to all from Ewart.”
Among those who have contacted the building society is a relative, believed to be the great niece of Miss Lydia Davies, the postcard’s intended recipient. “We haven’t got to the bottom of how it ended up back in the circulation of the Royal Mail and how it came to us with a stamp that is the best part of 125 years old, it’s got Kind Edward [VII] on it,” Mr Darby added. “So we’re still intrigued by how it’s gone back into the system. We guessed it may be someone was doing a house clearance, guessed it was maybe still a house and thought the owner may like it as a keepsake. “It’s come back into our ownership and we want to make sure it gets to the right place, be it the local archive, or if possible Lydia’s surviving family.”
A black and white image of the artist Edwin Henry Landseer’s painting The Challenge, the postcard is believed to have been sent by a man called Ewart, with the postmark of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. The postmark is marked AU23 03, which would likely relate to the date 23 August 1903. A family historian who replied to the building society after it posted the picture on Facebook said they had found a 14-year-old Lydia at 11 Cradock Street in the census of 1901. A spokesperson for the Royal Mail said it was likely the postcard was “put back into [its] system rather than being lost in the post for over a century”. “When an item is in our system, we are under obligation to deliver it to the correct address,” they added.
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/skynews_2024.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2024-08-24 19:47:412024-08-24 19:47:41Swansea postcard dating back 121 years finally arrives
We have just received the following Press Release from Boston 2026:
The Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) has granted Recognition status to the Boston 2026 World Expo.
FEPA is the continental European organization that supports 45 members (national philatelic federations, associations and unions) in promoting philately. Its activities are principally focused on sharing information, promoting innovation and cooperation, supporting exhibitions and rewarding achievements.
FEPA recognition is normally restricted to exhibitions on European territory. In granting its recognition to Boston 2026 World Expo, however, the FEPA Board is aware of the global importance of this exhibition and wishes to help the Organizing Committee to promote the show in Europe.
Recognition by FEPA grants Boston 2026 three privileges:
Marketing and promotion of the exhibition through its channels (magazine, website, newsletters, etc.)
Technical expertise as requested
Use of its logo and flag
FEPA information can be found on its web site at fepanews.com.
Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.
Last week, the editors of the digital magazine Les Belgolâtres sent us an email mentioning the following:
“Here is a link for downloading our philatelic bulletin Les Belgolâtres, No. 19: https://www.philafrica.be/BELGOLATRES/bulletins/BELGOLATRES%2019%20-%20juillet%202024.pdf. It is a free bulletin, distributed every three months by email as a PDF file. You can find all previous bulletins on: http://issuu.com/congolatres. Don’t hesitate to transfer it to any of your philatelic friends, who could be interested. If they want to receive it in the future, ask them to send us their email address. If you wish to publish any articles or questions, please send them to us and they will be published in the next bulletin.”
Swansea postcard dating back 121 years finally arrives
We picked this up from the Sky News website. It was written by Tomos Evans, Wales reporter, on 21 August.
When staff at a building society in Swansea received their mail on Friday, they were surprised by what they discovered. In among their usual savings and mortgage-related deliveries was a postcard dating back more than 120 years.
Swansea Building Society celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, but the card predates its establishment by another couple of decades. Henry Darby, the society’s marketing and communications officer, told Sky News the unexpected arrival was “exciting”. “It’s a little bit spooky, I’m not a huge fan of touching it because it feels like an antique. It feels like it needs to be in Perspex or something,” he said. “But there’s lots of great stories on our socials, lots of comments we’re getting, and people clearly really passionate about the city and what it once was and what stories there are to be unlocked.”
The message on the card reads: “Dear L. I could not, it was not possible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about 10/- [shillings] as pocket money not including the train fare so I am doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John. With love to all from Ewart.”
Among those who have contacted the building society is a relative, believed to be the great niece of Miss Lydia Davies, the postcard’s intended recipient. “We haven’t got to the bottom of how it ended up back in the circulation of the Royal Mail and how it came to us with a stamp that is the best part of 125 years old, it’s got Kind Edward [VII] on it,” Mr Darby added. “So we’re still intrigued by how it’s gone back into the system. We guessed it may be someone was doing a house clearance, guessed it was maybe still a house and thought the owner may like it as a keepsake. “It’s come back into our ownership and we want to make sure it gets to the right place, be it the local archive, or if possible Lydia’s surviving family.”
A black and white image of the artist Edwin Henry Landseer’s painting The Challenge, the postcard is believed to have been sent by a man called Ewart, with the postmark of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. The postmark is marked AU23 03, which would likely relate to the date 23 August 1903. A family historian who replied to the building society after it posted the picture on Facebook said they had found a 14-year-old Lydia at 11 Cradock Street in the census of 1901. A spokesperson for the Royal Mail said it was likely the postcard was “put back into [its] system rather than being lost in the post for over a century”. “When an item is in our system, we are under obligation to deliver it to the correct address,” they added.
Sky News article: https://news.sky.com/story/swansea-postcard-dating-back-121-years-gets-delivered-in-the-mail-13200600
[Both images are credited to the Swansea Building Society]
Follow FEPA on Facebook
Boston 2026 Receives FEPA Recognition
We have just received the following Press Release from Boston 2026:
The Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) has granted Recognition status to the Boston 2026 World Expo.
FEPA is the continental European organization that supports 45 members (national philatelic federations, associations and unions) in promoting philately. Its activities are principally focused on sharing information, promoting innovation and cooperation, supporting exhibitions and rewarding achievements.
FEPA recognition is normally restricted to exhibitions on European territory. In granting its recognition to Boston 2026 World Expo, however, the FEPA Board is aware of the global importance of this exhibition and wishes to help the Organizing Committee to promote the show in Europe.
Recognition by FEPA grants Boston 2026 three privileges:
FEPA information can be found on its web site at fepanews.com.
Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.
Thomas M. Fortunato
Boston 2026 Public Relations Chair
Tom.Fortunato@Boston2026.org
Click here to receive the Press Release in pdf format.
[photo credit: Boston 2026 website]
Follow FEPA on Facebook
“Les Belgolâtres” Magazine is Free to Download
Last week, the editors of the digital magazine Les Belgolâtres sent us an email mentioning the following:
“Here is a link for downloading our philatelic bulletin Les Belgolâtres, No. 19: https://www.philafrica.be/BELGOLATRES/bulletins/BELGOLATRES%2019%20-%20juillet%202024.pdf. It is a free bulletin, distributed every three months by email as a PDF file. You can find all previous bulletins on: http://issuu.com/congolatres. Don’t hesitate to transfer it to any of your philatelic friends, who could be interested. If they want to receive it in the future, ask them to send us their email address. If you wish to publish any articles or questions, please send them to us and they will be published in the next bulletin.”
The editors of Les Belgolâtres are the same editors of Les Congolâtres. Both magazines are prepared and distributed with the same philosophy. See earlier FEPA’s presentation to Les Congolâtres here: https://fepanews.com/les-congolatres-a-magazine-for-the-belgian-congo-enthusiasts/.
Follow FEPA on Facebook