Ghost of a flea

The existence of the time capsule was revealed only recently by Cyril Doy, an 84-year-old retired corn and seed merchant, who was smoking a cigarette with a friend on the common in 1932 when they saw two men digging. He recognised one of them as Eric Blair (Orwell's real name), who was living in Southwold while working on the final draft of his first successful book, Down and Out in Paris and London. The other was Dennis Collings, the son of the local doctor.

"At first we thought that they were doing some archaeological digging," said Mr Doy yesterday. "They did not see us and we just watched. They had brought some artefacts. Some were from the First World War, including a British steel helmet, and they put these into the hole which they had dug. I realise now they were leaving what we know today as a time capsule."