Bundle of 1962 letters recovered from a canal

A woman who recovered a bundle of letters from a city canal said she hoped to return them to their owner.

The cache of 32 handwritten letters, tied together with blue ribbon, were postmarked in Nottingham and delivered to an address in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1962.

Shirley Elmore, 52, discovered the letters while magnet fishing with her son close to the Ford Shopping Park in Birmingham last month.

She said she "was shaking with excitement" when she took them out of the water before bringing them home to dry.

Ms Elmore said the envelopes were all opened, but many were too damaged to salvage.

The letters all have the same addresses and handwriting.

They were all addressed to a Janet Millington at Glen View Road in Hemel Hempstead.

The sender - who signs the letters "Arch" - also gave his address as Rupert Street in the Meadows area of Nottingham, but the road is now part of an industrial estate.

Ms Elmore said the personal letters revealed how he was feeling, his fondness for Janet and how much he was missing her.

In one he told how he had phoned her and got no answer, but would try again the next day.

Ms Elmore posted pictures of the letters on social media and said she has received lots of comments but "no-one has been in contact".

She said she was not seeking any money and just wanted them "to go back to their rightful owner".

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