Mystery envelope sent from America to UK arrives empty – 80 years after it was posted

The manager of The Sands Meadows care home in Hest Bank, Lancashire, immediately realised the ancient envelope was more than ‘your average letter’

An envelope that was sent from America has arrived in the UK without the letter inside of it – 80 years after it was posted.

The envelope, dated October 5, 1942 was discovered by manager Kevin Beattie, 39, when it arrived at The Sands Meadows care home in Hest Bank, Lancashire.

He realised that ‘it wasn’t your average letter’ and launched an appeal on social media to try and find out who the envelope belonged to.

Kevin then discovered it was from Phillip Tattersall, who was living in Florida at the time while he was training for the British Flying Training School but he sadly died in 1996.

It is believed Phillip tried to send the letter from Florida to his parents Cornelius and Ethel Tattersall, who lived at the property which is now the care home.

Although the actual letter was missing, Kevin said when he opened it and ‘saw the age of the envelope’, he realised it was something he has ‘never seen’ before.

Kevin said: “If letters have come damaged to the home, then it’s come in a clear plastic bag and just mentioned that if there’s anything of value, to contact Royal Mail.

“But once we opened it and saw the age of the envelope and the stamp, it dawned on us that it wasn’t your average letter that we would have got.”

After seeing Kevin’s appeal, Phillip’s daughter Phillipa and granddaughter Tessa reached out to him to provide more information about the envelope.

They revealed that when he returned from Florida, Phillip became a RAF Flight Lieutenant and later served in northern Germany in WW2 and flew a fighter bomber.

The family also said that Phillip married his wife Ruth and they lived in Morecambe, Lancs,. before emigrating to Canada and having four children, including Phillipa.

Phillipa, who lives in an island near Vancouver, Canada, said: “I have been thinking about the power of social media and how quickly information gets passed to all of us.

“Certainly much quicker than that envelope delivered to The Sands Meadow.

“I recognised my father’s handwriting as soon as I saw the envelope.”

She added: “The envelope probably contained a letter to update his parents on his life during training in Florida.

“He always stayed in close contact with them throughout their lives and would visit them.

“My father, Philip was a great story teller and would be thrilled that this information be shared.”

Kevin of Morecambe, Lancs added: “It’s just the wonder of social media because they live out near Vancouver so parts of the family have seen it and have got in touch with each other.

“Then they were able to get in touch with ourselves at the home.”