World War I carrier pigeon's century-old message found in French field

The WW1 military message discovered recently is an 'extremely rare' discovery. It was probably lost by a carrier pigeon in 1910. Photo: AFP

A couple out for a walk in eastern France have discovered a tiny capsule containing a message despatched by a Prussian soldier over a century ago using an ill-fated carrier pigeon.

The message from an infantry soldier based at Ingersheim, written in German in a barely legible hand, detailed military manoeuvres and was addressed to a superior officer, said Dominique Jardy, curator of the Linge Museum at Orbey in eastern France.