18 October 2017
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The letter and ring
An online antiques marketplace has discovered a letter from World War I, along with an engagement ring, in a locked drawer in a chest of drawers and is appealing to the public to help find its rightful owner.
An online antiques marketplace has discovered a letter from World War I, along with an engagement ring, in a locked drawer in a chest of drawers and is appealing to the public to help find its rightful owner.
The letter is from a man who had to leave to fight in World War I, but intended to marry the woman upon his return, leaving her his grandmother’s ring as a promise.
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One of the dealers from LoveAntiques.com, which specialises in antique artefacts, furniture and jewellery, purchased the antique chest of drawers at an antique sale in Somerset earlier this year. It was later that he discovered one of the drawers was locked, which when finally opened, revealed the letter and diamond ring.
The letter is from a George written in March 1916, just before he left to fight in World War I, and was given to his mother to send onto his presumed girlfriend, Eileen. In the letter, George apologises for leaving so suddenly but that when he returns, he wants to marry her, leaving his grandmother’s ring to her as a promise. It’s unclear if Eileen ever saw the letter and diamond ring.
A ring to be passed down the generations
Grant Nicholas of LoveAntiques.com, said: “You can imagine our surprise when we finally managed to open the drawer only to find a letter and engagement ring. I’ve come across some weird and wonderful things while collecting antiques, but this is really something special that should be returned to George’s or Eileen’s family, as it was clearly a ring that was meant to be passed on through generations.
“There’s definitely a story behind this find and we would love to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps George’s mother didn’t have chance to deliver it, Eileen didn’t accept the proposal and kept the letter in this drawer to give back to George when he returned, Eileen accepted the proposal and waited for George but he never returned. Or perhaps, Eileen returned the ring and letter to George and George put the letter away.
“If you have any information about the ring, letter, or George and Eileen, we would love to hear from you. It would be wonderful to reunite the ring and letter with the rightful owner.”
If you have any information, please contact LoveAntiques.com via their website.