1948 Message in a Bottle Found: Seeking Lt. Col. Eugene J. McNamara from World War II?

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by Clint Buffington | Message in a Bottle Hunter in message in a bottle, Mystery Message, News

Tags

history, Inspiration, Japan, Lt. Col. Eugene J. McNamara, message in a bottle, military, News, Stars and Stripes, Yokohama

Military Message in a Bottle From 1948 Discovered in Japanese Hotel

According to an article published by Stars and Stripes on June 15th, 2017, a 70 year old message in a bottle has been discovered in the Hotel New Grand in Japan’s Yokohama Harbor during renovations. The message dates to the years after the war when the US occupied Japan. Now, the hotel is searching for McNamara’s surviving descendants, if he has any, to connect them with this piece of their family history. As a military message in a bottle from the era of post – World War II, this bottled note is especially intriguing.

McNamara Military Message in a Bottle - Stars and Stripes

Whiskey bottle with McNamara’s name on the front, and his business card within. Photo credit: Erik Slavin / Stars and Stripes.

The front of the business card simply lists McNamara’s name and rank. The brief note written on the back of the business card is pretty straightforward: Continue reading →

90 Year Old Man Discovers 83 Year Old Message in a Bottle is From His Father

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by Clint Buffington | Message in a Bottle Hunter in history, message in a bottle, News

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Edinburgh, history, Living Memory Association, message in a bottle, News, Scotland, Time Capsule, Viewforth

83 Year Old Message in Bottle Discovered

Living in the world of messages in bottles, there’s a certain level of coincidence that comes with the job. That’s what makes it so cool 🙂 But occasionally something happens that knocks even my socks off! I mean, if the starting point is an 83 year old message in a bottle, you know the story is gonna be good…

Laurence Reid, an Edinburgh resident who recently turned 90, spent his working life as a joiner, constructing the wooden elements of buildings and the like. According to a story published by the Edinburgh Evening News, he recently decided to donate an old carpenter’s plane to the Living Memory Association, which is not exactly a museum, but an organization that nevertheless keeps the past alive.

While there, Laurence and LMA worker Miles Tubbs, struck up a conversation. I can’t imagine the conversation they had that led to this next moment–but somehow Miles got the idea to show Laurence an item the Living Memory Association had recently acquired–a message in a bottle.

Laurence Reid 83 Year Old Message in a Bottle

The message in a bottle at Living Memory Association. Photo: SWNS.com / Daily Mail

Continue reading →

What a Message in a Bottle Taught Me About Women’s Fight for the Right to Fight

08 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by Clint Buffington | Message in a Bottle Hunter in history, message in a bottle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

history, international women's day, message in a bottle, military, women

One of the most remarkable messages in a bottle I’ve ever heard of comes from the archives of the The Warnambool Standard in March 1916. It opened a window for me into a particular element of women’s history I knew very little of before–particularly the history of women in the military.

It was written by Private R. Lock of the Australian military, who wrote in the message of a “girl” who had recently been discovered aboard his ship. She had been “masquerading” as a man in order to fight for her country.