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
      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.

            • tau@aussie.zoneEnglish
              1·
              2 days ago

              I’ve somehow managed to never read or watch any of the versions of that, I know the general gist of the story due to cultural osmosis but not the details. Might have to get around to reading the book at least.

              • maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zoneEnglish
                1·
                2 days ago

                I liked the book but it’s been over 25 years since I read it and I don’t remember much. The message in a bottle part stayed with me though.

                The Charleton Heston film is worth watching just to see what all the fuss was about. I have not seen any of the sequels.

                The Tim Burton remake is hot trash. Easy skip unless you like hot trash. This film spawned no sequels.

                Of the more recent films I think the first, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the best. The next two are serviceable but not must sees and the last is meh.