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Agence France-Presse

A meteorologist in the US Navy was pleasantly surprised to recover a wallet he had lost – 53 years ago in Antarctica.
Paul Grisham, 91, did not even remember losing the wallet when friendly strangers contacted him to return it via post, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported this week.
The lucky discovery was made during the 2014 demolition of the scientific base on Ross Island, where Grisham had been stationed as a weather forecaster from October 1967 to November 1968.
The sailor’s wallet was hidden behind a locker and contained, among other things: his Navy identity card, his driving licence, a reference card for what to do in case of a biological or chemical weapons attack … and a ration card for beer.
Grisham said he was “blown away” that so many people had gone to great lengths to reunite the wallet with its owner.
It took a long line of ‘good Samaritans’ to return the wallet to him.
The head of a research group in Antarctica contacted one of his former employees, who previously had successfully reunited a Navy ID bracelet – spotted for sale in a store – with its rightful owner.
Along with his daughter, they appealed to a foundation for veterans, who in turn contacted the Naval Weather Service Association, of which Grisham had been a member.
The wallet finally arrived last Saturday in good condition at Grisham’s home in San Carlos, northern California.


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US Navy meteorologist recovers wallet lost 53 years ago in Antarctica

Paul Grisham holds his 1968 Navy ID card at his home in the San Carlos neighbourhood of San Diego, California on Wednesday. Photo: The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP

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In this handout photo provided by British Antarctic Survey, carpenter Tom Lambert and Engineer Andy Stevenson-Jones climb ice at Hangar Cove, Rothera research station, in Antarctica on Friday, May 22, 2020. Antarctica remains the only continent without COVID-19 and now in Sept. 2020, as nearly 1,000 scientists and others who wintered over on the ice are seeing the sun for the first time in months, a global effort wants to make sure incoming colleagues don't bring the virus with them. (Robert Taylor/British Antarctic Survey via AP)

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Paul Grisham, 91, did not even remember losing the wallet when friendly strangers contacted him to return it via post
The discovery was made on Ross Island, where Grisham had been stationed as a weather forecaster from 1967 to 1968



The wallet contained a Navy identity card, driving licence, reference card for what to do in case of a biological or chemical weapons attack – and a ration card for beer.


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