A beach clean-up on Wharton Beach near Esperance uncovered a pristine Schweppes bottle holding cheerful pencil letters from Australian Privates Malcolm Neville, 27, and William Harley, 37, written during World War I on Aug. 15, 1916, days after sailing from Adelaide aboard HMAT A70 Ballarat. Deb Brown's family found it on Oct. 9 and notified relatives after finding the writing still legible. Neville, later killed in action, said they were happy as Larry; Harley wished the finder well. Brown believes the bottle lay buried in dunes; families called the discovery unbelievable and a miracle.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.