1966 James Bond Note in Castle Fireplace Finally Solved

When restoration workers unsealed a fireplace at Elizabeth Castle, a 16th-century fortress off the coast of Jersey, they found something unexpected buried in concrete: a glass bottle with a note reading "007 JAMES BOND. DON'T TELL ANYBODY."

The mysterious message, dated February 26, 1966, was signed only "E. A. Blampied." Pages from a newspaper dated three days earlier were tucked inside the bottle alongside the note.

Harvey Doolan, Jersey Heritage's historic buildings officer, immediately wondered who had left such a playful mystery. His first guess was Edmund Blampied, a famous Jersey artist, but the timeline didn't work. The artist was 79 and passed away just months later in August 1966.

So Jersey Heritage posted about the find on social media, hoping someone might recognize the name. That's when two sisters heard about it on their local radio station.

Annelis Michel and Debbie Blampied were listening to Channel 103 when they heard "E. A. Blampied" mentioned. They immediately messaged each other, thinking of their late father, Edward Arnold Blampied.

Edward was a carpenter who worked at Elizabeth Castle in 1966, building the stairways in the Officers' Quarters where the bottle was found. He was also a devoted James Bond fan whose favorite film was "Thunderball," which had just been released.

But here's what sealed the case: Edward had a well-known habit of hiding messages in bottles. His daughters remembered him tucking notes and mementos into the walls of their family home as he built it. He even encouraged them to throw messages in bottles into the sea, hoping strangers would find them and write back.

Sunny's Take

There's something beautiful about a playful secret finally being discovered by the exact right people. Edward never expected anyone to read his note, much less his own daughters nearly 60 years later. He was just a carpenter who loved James Bond and enjoyed leaving little mysteries for the future.

His daughters spent a day going through old photos and letters, sharing memories of their father before confirming the note was his work. Jersey Heritage now says it's "very confident" they've solved the case.

And the sisters suspect this won't be the last surprise Edward left behind. They wouldn't be surprised if other notes turn up in other locations around Jersey.

A secret agent who was really just a dad with a sense of humor and a bottle full of hope that someone, someday, might smile at his joke.