The Strange Story of Brian Robson, Homesick Man Who Mailed Himself in a Crate From Australia to the U.K in 1965

In 1965, a 19-year-old Welshman named Brian Robson was living in Melbourne, Australia, after emigrating there under the British government’s “Ten Pound Pom” scheme. The scheme offered cheap passage for young Britons to move and work in Australia, but Robson quickly became homesick. He disliked his job with the Victorian Railways and longed to return to Cardiff — but the airfare home cost around £700, far beyond his means.

While struggling to find a way home, Robson got an idea after reading a book about an American serviceman who had mailed himself in a crate. He decided to mail himself from Australia to the UK as cargo.

With the help of two friends — Paul and John, fellow British expats — he built a wooden crate measuring just 30 x 26 x 38 inches (about 76 x 66 x 96 cm).

Robson squeezed himself inside, with his knees folded up to his chest. He took with him a suitcase, a pillow, a flashlight, a book of Beatles songs, a small bottle of water, and an empty bottle for urine. He also packed a hammer to break out upon arrival.

Cargo handler Gary Hatch demonstrates how he found stowaway Brian Robson, perched inside this shipping crate at the airport in Los Angeles.

His friends nailed the crate shut and booked him as cargo for a Qantas flight from Melbourne to London, which was supposed to be a direct 36-hour journey. The crate was labeled “Fragile,” “Handle with care,” and “This side up.”

The journey did not go as planned and turned into a “horrific experience.” The direct Qantas flight was full, so the crate was left on the tarmac. At one point, it was stored upside down for about 22 hours, leaving Robson literally standing on his head and slipping in and out of consciousness. His shipment was transferred to a Pan Am flight, which rerouted the cargo to Los Angeles. Robson was in the unheated, high-altitude cargo hold for a total of five days (92-96 hours), suffering from freezing temperatures, difficulty breathing, and dehydration.

After four days, the crate landed in a freight shed in Los Angeles, USA, not London. A ground worker noticed a light flashing from the crate’s air hole. When he peered through a wood knot hole, he and Robson made eye contact. The worker reportedly jumped back a mile, shouting, “There’s a body in there!”

The stunned American officials rushed him to the hospital. Though weak and sore, he survived without lasting injuries. The FBI questioned him but decided not to press charges, viewing it as a bizarre prank rather than a crime. Soon after, he was flown back to the UK — properly this time — courtesy of Pan Am, free of charge.

A Pan Am service representative examines the crate that Robson was found in back in 1965.

Robson was nursed backed to health after his amazing adventure.

Brian Robson’s bizarre attempt made headlines around the world. Decades later, he told his story in the memoir The Crate Escape (2021). He even tried to track down the two friends who had helped him, whom he hadn’t seen since that fateful day in Melbourne.

Robson revealed he used to chat to John and Paul about Ireland and that they used to swap stories about where they came from but he can’t remember their surnames or where in Ireland they were from. Robson said they would now be aged between 75 and 77 and he would love to catch up.

“I would like to meet up with them again,” he said. “Even if it’s just exchanging emails. If they were in the UK or in Ireland after this virus thing is finished I’m sure we could probably arrange to meet up personally. If they are in Australia, we couldn’t because I made a promise to myself.

“I’ve done a heck of a lot of legal traveling since then. I’ve been all over the world in many, many, many countries but I don’t want to go back to Australia.”