Mystery of postcard sent from Hayling in the 1960s is finally revealed
The mystery of a cryptic postcard that’s appeared in locations across Hayling Island has been solved.
The card, sent from Sunshine Holiday Camp, has baffled people who have picked up a copy in pubs, holiday venues and other locations.
Postmarked August 1966, the card, sent to an address in Islington, London, reads, ‘Dear Ray, Having a smashing time. The yellow coats here are very down to earth. The weather is mixed so I can’t help my bloody heels sliding. Once you’re back on your feet, it’ll be a weight off my mind. Keep digging deep, brother. Mick.’
It has now been revealed the card is promoting a new mystery novel, Postcard from Sunshine, set on Hayling Island today and in 1966.
Author Steve Murray said: “Postcard from Sunshine is a murder mystery that centres around the discovery of a cryptic postcard sent from Sunshine Holiday Camp a few days after England’s World Cup victory in 1966. The card is found in the summer of 2026 by a beach hut owner investigating the death of a man whose body has washed up on the shore. The postcard seems to be the key to solving the mystery and the reader is taken back to 1966 to meet Ray and Mick and find out why the postcard was sent and what it means.’
A replica of the card has been printed and randomly distributed across the island over the last few days. Steve said: ‘A small team has visited some of the locations that appear in the story and left postcards for people to find. Anyone who picks one up will be confused unless they scan the QR code to find out about the book.’
Sunshine Holiday Camp opened in the mid-1930s and was the third camp to open on the island. It went on to become one of Hayling’s most popular holiday venues for decades before becoming Mill Rythe in the 1980s. Steve was inspired to write a story featuring the camp in the sixties after being given a copy of its entertainment and sports programme for the1966 season.
He said: ‘A few years ago, I worked on a project researching the history of the holiday camps and was intrigued when I read the brochure. It details the packed programme of events organised for the summer, including the Knobbly Knees and Miss Sunshine contests at the pool each Sunday. I own a beach hut at Beachlands and had already developed an outline of a story centred around the beach hut community. It occurred to me I could combine this with a secondary timeline focusing on England’s World Cup journey of 1966, including the experiences of campers at Sunshine.’
Postcard from Sunshine is published by Sandbar Books and can be bought at www.sandbarbooks.co.uk/postcard or Amazon.