The notes were thrown overboard just a few days into a voyage to join the battlefields of France more than a century ago.

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.

…

    • tau@aussie.zoneEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Even with a theoretically ideal seal holding suitable humidity it depends a lot on what paper and where the bottle spent its time. I would expect a massively broad range of times - between a few years and thousands of years.

      Paper with any significant acid content will last significantly less time than acid free paper, and paper made of cotton is likely to last noticeably better than paper made from wood. You also want the paper to be kept away from light and high temperatures as these will really cut into potential lifespan. If this bottle spent most of its time buried in a beach that would have at least kept it dark and relatively cool, probably why it lasted so well even with an imperfect seal.

      • maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zoneEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        I’m thinking of a book based on a message in a bottle that has been turned into multiple films and tv shows. Can you think of what it is?

        • tau@aussie.zoneEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Nothing comes to mind that matches that unfortunately.

          I did initially think of Treasure Island for some reason and that definitely matches the latter criteria but I don’t recall any messages in a bottle actually appearing in the book.

            • tau@aussie.zoneEnglish
              1·
              2 days ago

              That just makes me think of the Count of Monte Cristo, and while that plot kicks off everything with a nautical message it wasn’t in a bottle.

              • maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zoneEnglish
                1·
                2 days ago

                Second clue, it’s science fiction.

                Third clue, none of the movies and tv shows include the message in a bottle parts (start and end of story).

                • tau@aussie.zoneEnglish
                  1·
                  2 days ago

                  Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and The Mysterious Island (this one is barely sci fi) both include messages in bottles but not at both start and end of the story, so at this point I think I’m out of ideas.

  • sqgl@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    Is it a coincidence the bottle came back to Australia or is it likely it was always bobbing around in the Indian Ocean due 100 years, gradually making its way back because Australia was the closest landmass (despite currents)?

    • king_comrade@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      In the article proper it ends with a note from an oceanographer saying the bottle may have only been at sea a few weeks before being buried until it’s discovery