Can you help return old postcard to sender's family?

An appeal has been launched to track down anyone connected with a mystery postcard.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Feb 2016, 16:34 BST
Updated 26th Feb 2016, 16:35 BST
The postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman - can you help solve the puzzle behind the card?The postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman - can you help solve the puzzle behind the card?
The postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman - can you help solve the puzzle behind the card?

Former Hartlepool resident Trish Fleming came across the card at an antiques fair in Devon - and felt immediately drawn to it.

“It was strange, because it had been posted from Devon to Hartlepool - and then made it way back down here again,” she said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.
The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.

The card features a view of the River Teign and was sent to Mr W. Chapman, of 49 Topcliffe Street in West Hartlepool, in July 1954.

Sadly, although the message is addressed to “Dad”, the name of the sender is illegible.

Archive news cuttings reveal that a Walter Chapman - once a Sergeant-Major in the army - lived at the address at around this time.

Walter married Ethel Graham in 1918 and, when they celebrated their Silver Wedding anniversary in 1943, they were already at Topcliffe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.
The back of the postcard sent to Mr Walter Chapman. The message includes "Dear Dad" - but the signature is almost impossible to decipher.

It is believed that the couple had several children, including a daughter called Mary - who may have been the one to send the card.

Trish is hoping that relatives of Mr Chapman will spot her appeal, as she would like to return the card as a keepsake for them.

“There has got to be someone out there who is related to him. Hopefully someone, somewhere, will come forward and claim the card,” she said.

“Once I saw it, I couldn’t ignore it. I would love for it to make the trip back home to Hartlepool.”

* Anyone wishing to claim the claim should email: [email protected]

Related topics:West HartlepoolDevon