A homeowner in East Yorkshire has discovered a letter hidden behind a wall for 71 years. Brendon Swallow, who has lived in his property for 13 years, found the note while renovating his attic.
Letter addressed to the finder
Swallow spotted a dusty bundle of paper after pulling out an old bookshelf. The letter was wrapped in an old newspaper and addressed simply to “the finder”. It had been written and signed by electrician Gordon Hopper on March 1, 1955.
“It’s very nice that he took the time to write that, and it’s great to be able to bring it out so people can see it, because that’s obviously what he would have wanted when he wrote it,” said Swallow.
Snapshot of life in 1955
Gordon’s letter shared details of his rate of pay, the weather, his experiences serving in the Army and the political climate of the day. The bundle also included a note from his apprentice, Brian McDade, who wrote that he was “18 years and three months” old and worked for Thompsons of Hull.
Swallow said: “I pulled it out and almost threw it away, but there was a sense of intrigue. The letter was folded inside. It’s just amazing. It’s addressed to the finder, so it’s quite exciting to be the finder and to read through it.”
Search for the families
Swallow hopes to track down more information about the pair and find their families. “It would be fabulous to be able to find out some more about these people. I have a few leads to follow up and will do some research,” he said.
He plans to return the time capsule to its hiding place inside the house in a sealed container, adding some information about the world today. He also hopes that if Gordon or Brian’s families can be found, they might want to add something to the collection.
Swallow added: “Then we’ll put a little bit in about what’s going on in the world today before we seal it all back up for the next generation to find.”
