Couple of summers ago I was clearing outside tables at my Inn and there was a camera case on a table with a load of glasses. I picked it up and there was a camera inside. I went to the bar and said "if anyone comes in for a camera that was left on the patio, I have it in the office". The afternoon went and the evening went and nothing. I looked at the camera and it was a very nice all singing all dancing Olympus Trip. I collect cameras and do a lot of photography, so I thought great, I'll get me a camera shortly. After a couple of days, I thought this is silly, I have a top of the range Olympus OM4, an OM1, a Canon S20 digital, a Canon Zoom XL, A Bronica ETRC and a Minox 35EL. I finished the pictures on the camera, (about 4) and had the film developed to see what was on it. There were pictures of the Inn of course, pictures down in the harbour of my village and right near the begining of a couple of adults next to a Volvo Estate car. I could see the registration number clearly, so I wrote to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre for an address and sent a photocopy of the photo and an explanation that I had found a camera. They wrote back after about 2 weeks and said they couldn't give me any of the details of the owner, but if I sent a cheque for 5 pounds 50 with a letter to the owner of the Volvo, with my explanation, they were permitted to forward it as long as the letter was open, so they could check the contents. I wrote the letter, and sent off the cheque. About 2 weeks later, I received a telephone call from the Volvo owner and he was delighted to hear from me. The camera belongs to a 12 year old boy from Australia who had saved his paper round money for 6 months to buy the camera especially for the trip to the UK and it was even the first film through it as it was purchased at airport duty free. He was so upset and frightened about losing the camera, he didn't even mention it to his parents. The guy with the Volvo lived about 200 miles away and said he was returning to the village for Christmas and would collect it then. Sure enough, he turned up a couple of days before Christmas and said he would pay the DVLC fees, the postage and the cost of developing the film. Of course I would have none of it, I put all the expenses through the business anyway. I was just happy to have gone that little bit extra to get in touch using the one bit of evidence to an owner I had.
Anyway, fast forward to next summer and a whole troop of people march into my office. It is the guy with the Volvo, his wife and his boy, the mum and dad from Australia, his daughter and the young man with the camera to thank me in person.
That has to be worth far more than a free lost property camera.
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Last summer on a Saturday, I was clearing tables and there was a lady's handbag under the legs and tied around a patio chair. I threw it over my shoulder, carried on collecting glasses and went into the bar and said if anyone comes for a ladies handbag, I have it in the office. On getting to the office, the first thing you do is check the handbag for any identification. There was ladies purse with a name, and driving licence, cheque book with about 20 cheques, cheque guarantee card, credit and bank cards etc, but oddly there was a man's wallet as well. The wallet had the same surname, bank and credit cards, drivers licence, sports club card, and work ID card. More to the point, the ladies purse contained 380 pounds, and the man's wallet contained about 650 pounds (about $1,650.00 USD). I thought holy moly! I immediately phoned the police station in the next town and told them I had all this stuff in case they phoned. I told them I would drop it in the next day if it wasn't claimed.
About 6 hours later the phone rang and a lady said 'I left.... " before she could get any further, I said "don't worry we have your handbag". She said "Is....", I said don't worry, the thousand and thirty pounds is still in it". The poor lady burst into tears and blurted out, "it's all our holiday money". I said "it's OK, it's safe, when would you like to collect it". She said they had got to their cottage further west of us, but would come straight back and get it. This was about 10.30 at night and they got to me about a half hour after the bar closed, but I took them through to the bar, and gave them a drink. I said I just need you to tell me your full name and your address, which she did, and then I gave her the handbag, and said "welcome to Cornwall".
The lady said that her husband was driving down to Cornwall and they had a drink at my Inn the year before and liked it. They came in for a quick drink this afternoon on their way through to 'down west'. She was staying sober and was going to drive the final short leg. Well, the sun was shining, the ale was fine and flowing and one drink led to four or five. She was concerned that her husband might lose his wallet, so she insisted on putting it in her handbag. When they left, she was helping her husband and forgot all about her handbag. She used her husband's car keys which were on top of the table. She drived the rest of the way to their rented cottage, unloaded the car, and then sat down to relax............... until.....
!!!
They checked the wallet and the purse and were so relieved. They said they should give me 'something for my honesty', but I declined as it is all part of my job in the hospitality trade as a fine upstanding Innkeeper.
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The original owner of my 14th century Inn and Watemill was
Zephania Job, who was also known as the 'smugglers banker' back in the 1700's, and taking over the Inn, I realised after a couple of years that it appeared that part of my job description was to be a loan banker too. I have lost count of the number of customers I have helped out, either to see them drink in another pub, avoid me in the street, or even move away. The worst was a guy called Ashley, who used to bore my wife and I to death until the early hours of the morning, but we both knew his father didn't like him, in fact he was the product of a union between his mother and the local pig farmer. honest, it's the truth. Anyway I was a bit like a surrogate father and we used to help him out where we could, buy him the odd drink, answer his questions, give advice on purchases and stuff. One day he said he was going on holiday to Gambia and had booked the tickets. Now this is a really big step for a 28 year old kid from a village, who has never been abroad. He is a bit mentally unstable, either perceived or real, who knows, and he has saved up the money from his state benefits. My wife found him details on Gambia from the Internet and we also got him some deet for mosquitos sent over from Canada.
Anyway, the week before he is about to leave he comes to the office and asks if he can borrow 350 pounds? As much as I like the guy, I didn't think that was a very wise financial transaction, so I said no. He said OK, Plan B, I'll sign my next two weekly giro benefit cheque to you, and you can cash it. I asked where his holiday money had gone and he said he had given it to a nutty woman he was involved with to pay her rent, so at least it seemed a charitable thing to do. I agreed and gave him 323.oo pounds and wished him a good holiday.
The next Friday I went to the post office to cash this cheque and he hadn't signed it in the two places he was supposed to so they wouldn't cash it. 2 days later, I was off to Canada, on holiday, so I told my manager , when Ashley comes back, don't let him have the giro book unless he pays the money back even if you have to go to the post office with him. Anyway, I get back and the manager says that Ashley phoned from Kent, (miles away) and said he was invloved with a new girl and would he post the Giro book to him. He explained what had happened with me not being able to cash the cheque, so 'no'. He turned up the next day and said he would go straight down to the post office and cash my giro cheque and his next one, and would be back with my money. What happened? Yep, you lot are too sharp. He was never seen again with 650.00 pounds in his pocket. The reward for being kind.
All stories 100% true
edited for spelling error
