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BBC Pidgin of Friday, 17 February 2023

Source: BBC

How letter land for Crystal Palace more dan 100 years dem send am

Di 100 year letter Di 100 year letter

One letter wey dem write for February 1916 don land for one flat for south London afta more dan 100 years later.

Di envelope wey get Bath postmark and a 1d (1p) stamp wey varry George V head, land for Finlay Glen flat on Hamlet Road, Crystal Palace, for 2021.

E say: "We dey surprised and shocked to see say di letter still dey around for more dan 100 years."

Royal Mail say dem no "sure wetin happun for dis kain case".

Dem send di letter two years before World War One rationing dey introduced and King George V bin don dey on di throne for five years.

Dem born future prime ministers Harold Wilson and Sir Edward Heath later dat year.

Although e fit be crime to open letter wey no dey addressed to you, under di Postal Services Act 2000, di theatre director say im feel say na "fair game" to open once e realise say na from 1916, not 2016.

Di 27-year-old add: "If I don commit crime, I fit only apologise."

Dem write di letter to "my dear Katie", di wife of local stamp magnate Oswald Marsh, according to Stephen Oxford, wey be di editor of di Norwood Review, one quarterly local history magazine.

Oswald Marsh na one highly regarded stamp dealer wey pipo dey most time call as expert witness in cases of stamp fraud.

Na one family friend Christabel Mennell, write di letter. She be di daughter of one wealthy local tea merchant Henry Tuke Mennell, and she write am wen she dey on holiday for Bath.

For inside di letter, Ms Mennell tok say she feel "quite ashamed of myself afta she tok wetin I do", plus she don dey feel "miserable here wit a very heavy cold".

Mr Oxford say: "E dey very unusual and actually quite exciting as e give idea into local history and pipo wey live for Norwood, wey be very popular place for di upper middle classes for di late 1800s.

"Crystal Palace bin generate a huge influx of very wealthy pipo and so to find out about pesin wey move come di area for possibly dat very reason dey absolutely fascinating."

Wen dem ask am wetin e go do if relatives of di pesin wey send di letter or relatives of pesin wey suppose receive di letter get in touch, Mr Glen rely say “Na amazing piece of dia family history wey don turn up - if dem want, dem fit come round."

Di story bin first appear for di South London Press on Wednesday.