Snail mail: Postcard sent in 1989 finally delivered

Anne Leslie was "mystified" when the postcard dropped through the front door

A British student's postcard from the US has finally been delivered 32 years after it was sent.

Andrew Leslie, who was 25 at the time, posted the card to his dad, John, on 30 August 1989 while studying at The University of Michigan.

His mother Anne Leslie said she was left "mystified" when it finally arrived in Grimsby on Tuesday and was keen to learn what had happened.

Royal Mail said it may have been put back into the postal system recently.

Mrs Leslie said the card arrived the day before her husband's birthday. He lives in a care home for help with dementia but Mrs Leslie remains at the same address.

"It was lunchtime and I went to pick up the mail and saw this postcard between a couple of catalogues," she said.

"I saw my son's name and 'love Andrew' on it and thought: 'How strange'."

"There's no doubt about the date [stamp], so where's it been hiding?", she said.

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Andrew Leslie's postcard, which has an aerial picture on the front, describes his arrival in the US.

He praises the "leafy, green" surroundings and writes about his seemingly "endless" flight from the UK and meeting his "friendly and bright" coursemates.

The message ends with him worrying that he may be unable to resist adopting the Americanisms used by his new buddies.

Andrew Leslie's message describes his first impression of his study trip to the US

Andrew Leslie, who lives in Nottingham, said: "I'm kind of surprised. I sent chatty postcards like that at 25."

"It was addressed to my dad because my mum was leaving him at home while she came over to Canada to visit her brother and meet up with me."

Royal Mail said it was "difficult to speculate" on the reasons for the delay.

"Royal Mail regularly checks all its delivery offices and clears its processing machines daily. Once an item is in the postal system then it will be delivered to the address on the letter".

Andrew Leslie said he once found a 15-year-old postcard in a second-hand bookshop and posted it on

Andrew Leslie said he had a similar experience in the mid-80s when he found a postcard inside a novel at a second-hand bookshop in Lincoln.

He said: "It was stamped and addressed and written but it hadn't been sent, but it had a date on it and the date was quite a long time, 10 to 15 years before.

"So I discreetly slipped the postcard into my pocket and put it in a post box."

A few days later he found out that the card had been delivered when he read about it in the local paper.