'James Bond' message in a bottle from 1966 found in Jersey castle

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A restoration project at a Jersey castle led to a surprising discovery inside a fireplace: a "James Bond" message in a bottle dating from 1966.

Jersey Heritage said in a social media post that workers doing restoration work on the first floor of the officers' quarters at Elizabeth Castle unblocked a fireplace and found a hidden message in a bottle.

The note, dated Feb. 26, 1966, reads: "007 James Bond. 26th Feb 1966. P.S. Secret agent. Don't tell anybody."

The reverse side of the note reads, "E. A. Blampied," a possible reference to Jersey artist Edmund Blampied, who died in August 1966.

The note was written almost exactly two months after the release of Thunderball, a James Bond film starring Sean Connery.

The bottle also contained pages 15 through 18 of Feb. 23, 1966, edition of the weekly Reveille newspaper.

"We need your help to shed light on a mysterious note," Jersey Heritage wrote in the post. The group asked anyone with information about the message in a bottle to get in touch.