Royal Snail

[CageyH]

Yesterday, a letter arrived at my parents house.
Nothing unusual, except this was a letter I posted in August 1994 from France, to my sister.

So, where the hell has it been for the best part of 30 years?
Unfortunately, it is about 60 years too early to be a Guinness record, but it is pretty shocking.

I wish I knew where it had been. The french postmarks are both from '94, and the Royal mail from Feb '24.

Nothing like efficiency.

[struth]

Yesterday, a letter arrived at my parents house.
Nothing unusual, except this was a letter I posted in August 1994 from France, to my sister.

So, where the hell has it been for the best part of 30 years?
Unfortunately, it is about 60 years too early to be a Guinness record, but it is pretty shocking.

I wish I knew where it had been. The french postmarks are both from '94, and the Royal mail from Feb '24.

Nothing like efficiency.

must have been in some postal dumping factory space i guess and got forgotten about.

[Barry]

From the title of the thread, you make the assumption the delay was the fault of the Royal Mail.
Just because it has a French postmark doesn’t necessarily mean it left France. Was it sent airmail?

[CageyH]

It has two French post marks, so was processed correctly in France, and only one Royal Mail, even so, where has it been for thirty years?

Sorry, three french postmarks, all within a couple off days of each other, and then the next one is in the UK almost 30 years later, the day before delivery?

[Barry]

Did the two French post office marks show the same date?

[CageyH]

Answered by my edit

[guy]

Catchy thread title :thumbsup: But I agree with @Barry, it could be a problem with the French postal system - why would they post mark it three times?

[CageyH]

Why? Where it was received, the local sorting office, and then the international distribution centre.

[CageyH]

All French post marks from 1994.

So, let's blame the French? :lol:

[Barry]

It is probably as Grant has said: the letter was dropped somewhere.

I worked for the Royal Mail as a student during the Christmas holidays, both sorting and collecting the mail bags from the railway station.
Regarding the latter, the bags were sealed and the seal was only opened and the bag emptied at the sorting office. Then the bags were turned inside out to make sure there were no letters left behind.

Likewise, it is possible that some letters may fall to the floor whilst sorting, but the premises are cleaned by closely observered cleaners, so should be recovered.

The only other explanation is that your letter fell out behind the pigeonhole for the onward postal district, and was not discovered until the entire rack was moved.

The Royal Mail here is still pretty good and efficient; it's just the high costs I resent.

[CageyH]

I think that was probably the case.
It is just surprising that it turns up 30 years later, with no explanation, or apology...

[Lawrence001]

It is probably as Grant has said: the letter was dropped somewhere.

I worked for the Royal Mail as a student during the Christmas holidays, both sorting and collecting the mail bags from the railway station.
Regarding the latter, the bags were sealed and the seal was only opened and the bag emptied at the sorting office. Then the bags were turned inside out to make sure there were no letters left behind.

Likewise, it is possible that some letters may fall to the floor whilst sorting, but the premises are cleaned by closely observered cleaners, so should be recovered.

The only other explanation is that your letter fell out behind the pigeonhole for the onward postal district, and was not discovered until the entire rack was moved.

The Royal Mail here is still pretty good and efficient; it's just the high costs I resent.Yep probably dropped and somehow turned up decades later. Whether it was dropped by the French postal service or Royal Mail we'll probably never know. Maybe we should call it Schrödinger's letter.

[CageyH]

If it was me that found it, I would have looked at the post mark date, and probably binned it.

[Pigmy Pony]

Yep probably dropped and somehow turned up decades later. Whether it was dropped by the French postal service or Royal Mail we'll probably never know. Maybe we should call it Schrödinger's letter.

Well if it was a cat there'd be no question whether it was dead or alive.

[Lawrence001]

If it was me that found it, I would have looked at the post mark date, and probably binned it.You'd be guilty of interfering with the King's mail, there's probably still a death sentence for that.

[guy]

You'd be guilty of interfering with the King's mail, there's probably still a death sentence for that.

Even worse, the kings french letter :)

[CageyH]

You'd be guilty of interfering with the King's mail, there's probably still a death sentence for that.

Royal Mail have never lost any parcels/letters before?

[Lawrence001]

Even worse, the kings french letter :)[emoji23]

[Lawrence001]

Royal Mail have never lost any parcels/letters before?I imagine the death sentence would only apply to someone actively destroying/intercepting a letter. Simple incompetence would probably just see anyone found guilty left to rot in the tower.

In practice I imagine the usual corporate get out clause would apply that nobody is individually guilty and they would just need to do a short online multiple choice training course to make sure they understand their responsibilities.

[struth]

Royal Mail have never lost any parcels/letters before?

the death sentence was abolished in 1837.

[Desmo]

the death sentence was abolished in 1837.

Tell that to Ruth Ellis (1955) and Gwynne Evans and Peter Allen (1964). The death penalty was abolished in the UK in 1965, and I believe it was still legal in France till 1981.

[struth]

Death penalty for mail

[Lawrence001]

the death sentence was abolished in 1837.I'm a bit behind the times aren't I? [emoji23]

I thought it might have been one of those anomalies on the statute book but I remember a debate about whether parliament should allocate the time to remove them all a few years ago, so it might have been done by now.

[Macca]

Piracy With Violence, and Treason still carried the death penalty until 1998 along with the below military offences:

serious misconduct in action;
assisting the enemy;
obstructing operations;
giving false air signals;
mutiny or incitement to mutiny; and
failure to suppress a mutiny with intent to assist the enemy.

The death penalty was abolished for those offences in the Human Rights Act 1998.

[Lawrence001]

But what about the human rights of the person who posted the letter??

[Macca]

Ruthlessly violated.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Hey at least it got delivered. :rolleyes:..... only joking..... ;)