90-year-old stone 'note' revealed to be written by Canadian soldier

London, Nov 28 : The mystery of a 90-year-old note inscribed in stone, found by archaeologists in Denbighshire, UK, has been solved thanks to a trans-Atlantic e-mail.

According to a report by BBC News, the archaeologists found the rock with the signature "Carlyle D Chamberlain, Canadian Army" in Denbighshire.

The full inscription read: "Carlyle D Chamberlain, Canadian Army, Prospect, Kentucky, USA".

It was known that the Canadian Army were stationed at nearby Kinmel camp during World War I.

During World War I, Carlyle DeHaven Chamberlain, a soldier with the Canadian army, was stationed near to the region where the stone was discovered, as was revealed by David Chamberlain, Carlyle's grandson, who e-mailed from the US to offer a full explanation.

Denbighshire council had put out an appeal for information after the stone was discovered by staff from the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust working at the Penycloddiau Hillfort in the Clwydian Range.

David, who was contacted by a Canadian journalist, informed through e-mail that his grandfather loved travel and often left reminders in "meaningful places".

In an e-mail to Denbighshire's Countryside Service, he wrote, "Although my grandfather was born in Prospect, KY, he joined the Canadian Army and served with them during WWI."

"My grandfather was an avid hiker, outdoors man, and had a keen interest in natural history, archaeology and photography," he added.

According to David, "While camped with the soldiers nearby, all it would have taken to spark his interest would be to hear of a trail leading to an ancient burial ground and he would have certainly done his best to check it out."

"He would look for fossils and arrowheads every chance he got," he added. "My father told me that my grandfather would do things like what he did with the rock and leave them at meaningful places he would visit," he further added.

Chamberlain said that his grandfather went on to serve in World War II as military policeman. He later became a policeman and also served as curator of Louisville Museum of Natural History. He died in 1969 and was buried in Louisville.

ANI