World's oldest message in a bottle finally washes up after 108 years

A century-old message in a bottle, possibly the oldest ever found, has finally reached its destination.

Tossed into the North Sea sometime between 1904 and 1906, the bottle washed up on the beach in the German town of Amrum, and was found by a couple in April.

Inside they found a postcard asking that it be sent to the Marine Biological Association of the UK – which they did.

The association said the bottle was one of some 1,000 thrown into the North Sea as part of marine research more than 100 years ago.

Inside each bottle was a postcard promising a shilling to anyone who returned it to the association, based in Plymouth.

Most of the messages were returned decades ago.