Homeowner stunned to find 71-year-old letter hidden in wall during house renovation

A homeowner renovating his house was stunned to discover a mystery letter hidden behind a wall for 71 years.

Brendon Swallow has lived in the property for 13 years but only stumbled across the incredible time capsule last week.

He spotted a dusty bundle of paper after pulling out an old bookshelf during renovations.

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Wrapped in an old newspaper, the mysterious letter was addressed simply to “the finder”.

It had been written and signed by electrician Gordon Hopper on 1 March 1955.

Now Brendon, from Welton, East Yorkshire, is on a mission to discover more about the man who left it behind, as reported by What’s The Jam.

He said: “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.

“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.”

Gordon’s letter offered a fascinating snapshot of life in 1955, detailing his rate of pay, the weather, his experiences serving in the Army and the political climate of the day.

The bundle also contained a note from his apprentice, Brian McDade.

Brian wrote that he was “18 years and three months” old and worked for Thompsons of Hull.

Brendon is now hoping to track down more information about the pair and potentially find their families.

He said: “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.”

But the time capsule’s journey isn’t over yet.

Brendon plans to return it to its hiding place inside the house in a sealed container, along with any information he can uncover about the people who left it there.

He hopes that if Gordon or Brian’s families can be found, they might also want to add something to the collection.

Brendon 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.”

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