大象传媒

In 1960, Alan Vaughan, aged 19, was working as a radio operator. He spent two years on board ship. One night, after drinking a bottle of gin, he decided that he'd try to make contact with home by sending a message in a bottle...

The next I heard of this was a letter from my mother who had got a letter from a gentleman called Daniel J. Mannix from a small island on the Admiralty group (north of Australia, north of New Guinea).

My message had been picked up on the beach by the islanders of a very small island called Pam. They retrieved it from the bottle and in order to get it translated, they got into their dug-out canoe and paddled 40 miles to another island. There, Daniel J. Mannix, an ex-pat Patrol officer, translated it for them, transcribed their message to me and sent it on to my home address in Gloucestershire, where it was read by my mum and dad.

The transcript of the message from the people of Pam was in Pidgin English. Apparently Daniel J. could speak it rather well but I've never really had a translation. It's not a huge vocabulary but one of the words is spelt 'pinis' pronounced 'penis'. It means 'finish', or a terminating word like a full-stop. It appeared along with the word 'kisim'. Being from the island of 'Pam', my mother misconstrued the whole thing.

I found the letter a few months ago in an old shoe-box and it brought it all back. Daniel J. was obviously home sick too because he mentioned friends of his who lived near my parents. I feel guilty I never made contact. I feel really badly that I didn't get back to the islanders. Perhaps if I had I could have visited them and been given the freedom of the islands! It's a lost opportunity." So Daniel J. Mannix, if you see this, or hear the programme, do get in touch.