Word Travels

By Cian McDonagh

Letters travel from far and wide, from the deepest depths to the most inhospitable places on earth, wherever human ideas are spread.There are few feelings as novel as receiving a piece of post. A birthday wish, a valentine’s kiss, a letter from someone you miss. This article is not going to mourn the decline in the postal service, more so it is a celebration of its novelty.

Lofty Letters:

In the thin and chilly air that can be found at the 5,364 meters atop Everest Base camp, there sits an old army tent. The post office that sits at the roof of the world is as modest as it is remote. Owned by the Chinese Eastern Broadcasting Company, picturesque postcards can be sent to your loved ones in a matter of weeks provided the weather. The trail conditions to the nearest village, and the availability of the local sherpas. Letters will take roughly a week to reach China, two to reach Europe and more than two to reach the Americas.

Deep Dispatches:

Have you ever been sitting at the bottom of the ocean and thought, “Man, I would love to send a letter right now”, well fear not because the small fishing village of Susami in Japan has you covered. Sitting at a depth of 10 meters on the ocean floor there sits an apple red post box among the murky teal of the ocean depths. Inspired by Toshihiko Matsumoto the town's 70-year-old postmaster, it’s been a huge success for the town’s tourist scene with over 40,000 letters sent since its opening in 2000. Those who wish to send a letter must grab a waterproof letter and some oil-based ink before suiting up and diving to the box that sits below the town's harbour.

Polar Post;

Port Lockroy sits on a rocky outcrop of the world's most southerly and icy continent. The UK’s Antarctic Heritage Trust has a small team of 5 staff working in their Antarctic base with one of the roles being the Antarctic postmaster. The current postmaster is Geroge Clarke who will hold the position for one year. Each year the UKAHT sends a new team to share the Island with over 1,000 gentoo penguins, to manage the museum, shop and wildlife research. The position is open each year during the southern hemisphere summer season for a new postmaster to take the role, anyone interested can apply at for the role on the UKAHT website. Perks of the job include risk of slipping, limited access to shower facilities unless visited by a passing cruise ship and occasional whale sighting.

Missile Mail

There are few things faster than email delivery speeds, however back in the pre internet days the USA postal department in collaboration with the US Navy decided the way forward for postal delivery involved rockets. “Missile Mail” as its name suggests is the act of stuffing post into the top of a missile and firing towards the mail’s destination. The 1959 Test involved the firing of a missile from the newly established post office onboard the submarine USS Barbero (also making it an underwater post office). The 22-minute journey carried the 3000 letters one hundred miles to a navy base in Florida. A sensational system.

Cork’s Centenarian Correspondences

In the soggy street hidden away in a brick alcove sits what us Corkonians might argue is the oldest post box in the world. The Kent station pillar box was dated somewhere in between 1857 and 1859. The box itself is unique in several ways, it's only 4 feet tall, it is void of the royal insignia that was stamped on all Victorian boxes of the era. Rather oddly it's slot is installed in the top of the box leaving it open to this fair city’s damper aspects. Its twin post box was demolished in a car crash leaving the Kent box the last of its kind and the oldest box not only in Ireland but also the world, still in operation. Next time you use it make sure it’s a dry day.

These snapshots of the more novel aspects of the postal service showcase its weird and wonderful history. Although it is fading from the spotlight, its legacy is a testament to humanity's need to share stories, spread ideas and connect. So next time, you receive a piece of mail in the post, enjoy the novelty.