Brian Robson is notable for having mailed himself in a crate from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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in the late 1960s.Russel, Moll
Man posted himself from Australia to UK on Pan Am: seeks friend who nailed his crate shut
''Simple Flying'' May 21, 2022

Travel

In 1965, Robson was in Australia and didn't have sufficient funds to travel back home to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Inspired by the story of

Reg Spiers Reginald James "Reg" Spiers (born 14 December 1941) is an Australian former athlete who competed in the javelin throw at the 1962 Commonwealth Games, before his later conviction on drug smuggling charges. He is best known for successfully posti ...

, an Olympic javelin thrower who had performed a similar feat, Robson had his friends seal him in a crate that measured 36 by 30 by 38 inches and send him by post back to London. Supplies in the crate included: a hammer, a suitcase, a pillow, a liter of water, a flashlight, a book of Beatles songs, and an empty bottle. He spent 92 hours in the crate before officials intercepted him in Los Angeles. He was then

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

to London.Reynlods, Emm
The teenage stowaway who nearly died when he mailed himself to London
''News.com.au'' April 9, 2015 Robson's plan had been to be shipped directly to London on a 36 hour

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

flight from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, but the connecting flight was full, and so the crate was left upside down for 22 hours on the tarmac until it was shipped freight by

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

to Los Angeles before being transferred on to London. Because the areas where the crate had been stored were not properly heated and the crate had at times been kept upside down, Robson suffered greatly on his 4 day journey, at times even slipping in and out of consciousness. It took him several days to recover in a hospital in Los Angeles.

Reference

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robson, Brian Stowaways Possibly living people Year of birth missing