Messages from the Past: WWI Soldiers' Letters Discovered on Australian Beach

Sat Dec 20 2025 20:02:56 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Two heartfelt letters penned by Australian soldiers during World War I have been retrieved from a bottle found on the coast of Western Australia, captivating the descendants of the writers.

A remarkable discovery was made on the Wharton Beach in Western Australia, where a local resident stumbled upon a bottle containing letters from two soldiers written in 1916. Private Malcolm Neville and Private William Harley shared their experiences just days before heading to France. The letters have now been passed on to their descendants, sparking emotions and nostalgia surrounding their family's stories.

Messages in a bottle written by two Australian soldiers in 1916 have been found more than a century later on the country's south-western coast.

The cheerful notes were penned just a few days into their voyage to join the battlefields of France during World War One.

One of the soldiers, Pte Malcolm Neville, told his mother that the food on board was real good and that they were as happy as Larry. Months later, he was killed in action at the age of 28. The other soldier, 37-year-old Pte William Harley, survived the war and returned home.

The letters have been passed on to their descendants, who have been stunned by the discovery.

The bottle was found earlier this month on the remote Wharton Beach, near Esperance in Western Australia, by local resident Deb Brown and her family.

She was visiting the beach with her husband and daughter when they spotted a thick glass bottle in the sand.

Though the paper was wet, both letters were still legible, so Ms. Brown began tracking down the soldiers' families to pass them on.

Ms. Brown located Pte Neville's great-nephew via an online search, and Herbie Neville called the experience unbelievable for his family, especially for 101-year-old Marian Davies, who remembers her uncle leaving for war and never returning.

The second letter, written by Pte William Harley, was addressed to whoever found the bottle, as his mother had died years earlier. His granddaughter Ann Turner expressed that it felt like a miracle as the family felt a connection to their grandfather.

The letters convey poignant messages from the past, exposing a piece of history that resonates deeply with their descendants.