Personal King George V POW letter found in attic after nearly 100 years The letter addressed to the shipping expert, who was captured by the Germans and was a POW in Belgium, was recently discovered in an attic. Mr Parker's wife Gladys kept it following his death in 1955, aged 57, and when she died 30 years later, was stored by a son, Allan, where it was forgotten about. Experts said the duplication of the letter, which remains in near perfect condition, was of such "high standard" people are given the impression it is personally handwritten. Signed George RI, which stands for "Rex Imperator" or "King and Emperor," it reads: "The Queen joins me in welcoming you on your release from the miseries and hardships, which you have endured with so much patience and courage. During these many months of trial, the early rescue of our gallant officers & men from the cruelties of their captivity has been uppermost in our thoughts. We are thankful that this longed for day has arrived & that back in the old Country you will be able once more to enjoy the happiness of a home & to see good days among those who anxiously look for your return. Yesterday, Earnest Parker's daughter-in-law Diane Parker, 69, said her family had no idea the letter had remained a family secret until recently. Mrs Parker, of Worthing, West Sussex, said her father-in-law also served in the Second World War, where the security services utilised his marine insurance career. "We think it is just incredible that he got such a letter and had no idea it had been just sitting there hidden in an attic for so long," said Mrs Parker, whose husband Roy died in 2010, aged 79. The letter looks like it was sent yesterday and we were very surprised that it had survived all this time. It is extraordinary. While there were about 190,000 First World War POWs, there is no record in the Royal Archives of the names, or numbers of those to whom the message was given. Very few copies are left in public circulation, with some held in the Royal Archives and the Imperial War Museum, central London. Pre-printed envelopes also had the words "A Message To You From His Majesty King George V" written on it. Distribution was arranged by the Mobilisation Department and the Central Prisoners of War Committee, which "ensured that all former prisoners arriving at reception camps or at hospitals received their copy of the letter." "The King requested that each man's name be written on the letter," a Royal Archives spokesman said. Anthony Richards, the head of documents at London's Imperial War Museum, said it was a number of royal letters produced in the name of the King. He said: "The high standard of duplication achieved ... often misleads people into thinking that they possess an original - and therefore unique - royal autograph manuscript."