A WOMAN has come forward to claim a mystery letter delivered 89 years after it was posted.

Stella Pontin, 85, of Portland Road, Wyke Regis is the daughter of Percival Bateman, to whom the item, dated November 29, 1919, was addressed.

Mrs Pontin said she was surprised and intrigued to hear that the letter had been delivered to Basil Towers guesthouse in Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth.

She said: “I couldn’t sleep last night for thinking about it.

“I tried calling the guesthouse but there has been no answer so I called my daughter Helen and she was really over the moon about it and so anxious to get hold of it.”

Guesthouse owner Jane Barrett could not believe her eyes when the letter dropped through her letterbox 10 days ago.

Mrs Barrett, who is currently on holiday, was keen to hand it back to its rightful owner and appealed in the Dorset Echo for someone to shed some light on the mystery.

The article caught the eye of Stella Pontin’s neighbour who told her that her father was in the news.

The letter was addressed to Mr Bateman at 22 Abbotsbury Road, where Mrs Barrett’s guesthouse is now situated.

An RSVP from someone called Betty was inside, thanking Mr Bateman for his invitation and saying she would be delighted to join him on December 26.

The package also included a compliments card bearing the name of Grace Emmie Stewart – Mrs Pontin’s mother.

It arrived in a plastic bag from Royal Mail and a note which apologised for any delay and damage to the item while it was in the firm’s care.

Mrs Pontin said: “I wasn’t born until 1923 so it’s before my time, I don’t know if my father had many parties but he had lots of friends.

“He also had three brothers, Harold, Douglas and George, who all lived in Weymouth for a time and their parents lived in Cromwell Road.

“My parents met and married in Weymouth and then because my father worked for the Admiralty we moved away.

“I’m rather interested in how the letter got there addressed to him.”

She added: “It would be wonderful to see the letter and it will also greatly interest my older sister Brenda.”