Family solve mystery of 1955 letter under a tree

A mystery surrounding a 70-year-old letter found under a tree at a house in Wolverhampton may have been solved, after relatives of the man it was addressed to came forward.

The letter dated January 1955 was sent from a hotel in Torquay, Devon, to a JR Gwilt at Stafford Road in Fordhouses, setting out the costs of its rooms, and was recently uncovered by a gardener doing some clearing at a nearby house.

Carole Griffiths, a niece of Mr Gwilt, said she knew her uncle got married in April that year and the letter would have been him planning his honeymoon.

She said her uncle lived in the house it was found at before his death about 10 years ago and said it was "exciting" to come across it.

"He's John Raymond Gwilt and his wife was Barbara," she said.

"The letter is definitely him enquiring about his honeymoon as they went to Torquay a lot, especially when he was a kid.

"They always went there and loved it."

Gardner Adam Elshaw said he was working in the garden a few weeks ago when he found the letter, and said the current homeowners knew nothing about it.

The typed letter is from a hotel called Ashleigh Court in Torquay and is responding to an inquiry by Mr Gwilt about a possible booking.

The letter stated rooms were charged at six, seven and seven-and-half guineas per person for a week - about £140 nowadays - including meals.

Mrs Griffiths from Shifnal in Shropshire, said, as the couple married in April of 1955, "as soon as I read it I knew it would be for their honeymoon."

Her uncle had lived at Stafford Road where his family ran a butchers shop before moving to Woodthorne Road in Tettenhall where the letter was found.

"It was quite a shock to see it," she said.

"It's been quite exciting really and we were saying how weird it is...

"We've all been talking about it, and it's a small world as some people I know through a church I go to knew of Adam who found the letter, so we've been in touch and talking about it."

As to how the letter ended up outside, Mrs Griffiths said she believes it was down to the new owners of the house.

Mr Gwilt died about 10 years ago and his wife Barbara died three years ago, and the family sold the house within the past 12 months.

Mrs Griffiths said she expects the owners were clearing the house out and it fell out and ended up under a tree at the front of the property where it lay until Mr Elshaw discovered it.

Mr Gwilt's son David said he and his sister Jane were "very grateful to Mr Elshaw for his diligence and interest".

"The letter meant an awful lot to us," he added.