A century-old letter from a World War I soldier has been discovered inside a bottle on a remote beach in Australia. The note, written by Private Malcolm Alexander Neville on August 15, 1916, was found on Wharton Beach, near Esperance, approximately 750 kilometres southeast of Perth. This poignant message, penned just three days after he embarked on a troopship, offers a glimpse into the soldier’s life before he was killed in action in April 1917.
The letter, written in a light-hearted tone, reads, “Having a real good time. Food is real good so far, with the exception of one meal, which we buried at sea.” Private Neville, who was only 28 years old when he died, was aboard the HMAT Ballarat, which later sank after being torpedoed. The letter concludes with a request for the finder to send it to his mother in his hometown of Wilkawatt, South Australia.
Discovery and Historical Context
The bottle was found by Debra Brown and her family while collecting litter on the beach, likely exposed after severe winter storms eroded sand dunes. “We believe it’s been buried because it’s so well preserved,” Brown explained to AAP, noting that if it had been in the ocean for 109 years, it would have disintegrated.
Upon discovering the bottle, which contained a small amount of water, Brown removed the cork and set it aside to dry. She was initially surprised to see the message inside. “We thought, no way would you be able to read it,” she said. Using surgical tweezers, the family carefully extracted the two-page letter, revealing the heartfelt words of Private Neville.
Excited about the find, Brown researched the soldier on the Australian War Memorial website. She discovered that he had never returned home, leaving little trace of his life online. After locating Neville’s great-nephew, Herbie Neville, in Alice Springs, she shared the news, prompting a wave of excitement among the soldier’s relatives.
Private Neville’s Journey
According to Australian War Memorial curator Bryce Abraham, Private Neville was determined to serve his country despite initial obstacles. Standing at just 157 cm (five feet two inches), he faced challenges during enlistment due to his height and vision problems. Yet, he persisted, eventually joining the Australian Service Corps before transferring to the infantry.
“He was keen to do his bit and really wanted to enlist and to make a contribution,” Abraham noted. After a six-week voyage aboard the HMAT Ballarat, Neville arrived in the UK in September 1916 and was sent to France that December. He joined the 48th Australian Infantry Battalion in February 1917, but tragically, he was killed in action just two months later during the disastrous Battle of Bullecourt on April 11, 1917.
Abraham described the battle as horrific, with nearly half of Neville’s battalion becoming casualties. He was buried in a London cemetery and is one of four family members who lost their lives in the Great War.
In addition to Neville’s letter, the bottle also contained a message from another soldier, Private William Kirk Harley, who returned from the war and later married his childhood sweetheart. Brown noted that Harley’s letter took longer to dry and was more damaged when she retrieved it.
She has since posted Harley’s letter to his granddaughter and plans to send Neville’s letter to his family, further connecting these historical narratives to their descendants.
The discovery is part of a broader pattern; this is the fourth known message in a bottle found along the coastline between Adelaide and Perth. These letters shed light on the experiences of soldiers during World War I, who often wrote to pass the time at sea while fully aware of the grim realities of war.
Abraham reflects on the sentiments expressed in these messages: “They knew it wasn’t going to be a great adventure as portrayed at the outbreak of the war.” The letter from Private Neville serves not only as a historical artifact but also as a poignant reminder of the lives affected by conflict.
