# The Somerton Man



## Tish (Dec 10, 2020)

The Somerton Man is probably one of the most internationally renowned of Australia’s unsolved mysteries. Sometimes referred to as the Tamam Shud case, it involves the discovery of a man’s body on Somerton beach in the morning of December 1, 1948. The case is referred to as such because, some months after the body was found, police uncovered a scrap of paper in the man’s pocket on which was printed: tamám shud. The phrase means “ended” or “finished” in Persian.

Police were unable to identify the man, although his autopsy suggested that he had not died of natural causes but had in fact been poisoned and possibly left at the beach, instead of having died there. Clues on his body seemed to lead to more questions, and it didn’t get any easier when his suitcase was discovered 6 weeks after his body at a train station. The scrap of paper in his pocket came from a rare New Zealand edition of a book of poems, which police tracked down (someone had stashed it in the rear footwell of a car). Inside, they found indentations of other writing, which they believe to be a code or encryption.

The case of the Somerton Man is considered to be one of Australia’s most profound mysteries, and has been since it was first uncovered. Years later, there is no consensus as to who the man was, how he really died, how he came to be at Somerton beach, or where he might have come from. A local woman named Jessica Thomson was linked to the case, but continued to claim she did not know the dead man. Some think he might have been a spy, but the truth is, we’ll never know.





https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12...se-could-be-one-step-closer-to-solved/9245512


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 11, 2020)

Can't thank you enough for posting this case, Tish!

Will be digging up more of whatever I can find on it.


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## Tish (May 18, 2021)

*Update on this case!*
This morning it was declared that his body is being exhumed for further testing with new technology.
Obviously, they have a reason for this that they are not telling us about.
They did reveal that the small piece of paper written in Persian said "It is done"
I will be keeping my eye on this case and will update it as information becomes available.


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## fmdog44 (May 18, 2021)

They find the piece of paper "some months" after discovering the body?. If he was a poet it may be fitting he was a recluse and perhaps he saw fit to end his life while sitting on the beach watching the magnificent ocean. I don't get the mystery.


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## AnnieA (May 18, 2021)

The rest of the book of poetry having traces of code or encryption makes me lean towards the spy theory and that his death was a message.


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## Tish (May 18, 2021)

AnnieA said:


> The rest of the book of poetry having traces of code or encryption makes me lean towards the spy theory and that his death was a message.


I agree with you on that, I'm just baffled that they exhuming him, there has to be a reason or a break in the case.


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## Mike (May 19, 2021)

How did I miss this when you posted it in December Tish I
don't know and apologise!

It is an intriguing and baffling tale yet it seems to be coming
together and I hope that it is proven by the next tests.

Thank you for bringing it forward.

Mike.


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## Millyd (May 19, 2021)

Tish said:


> I agree with you on that, I'm just baffled that they exhuming him, there has to be a reason or a break in the case.


I seen the segment about the mystery man  on the ABC news tonight @Tish
there must be a good reason for exhuming him after 70+ years


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## Tish (May 19, 2021)

Millyd said:


> I seen the segment about the mystery man  on the ABC news tonight @Tish
> there must be a good reason for exhuming him after 70+ years


Absolutely, there would have to be Millyd.


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## Tish (May 19, 2021)

Mike said:


> How did I miss this when you posted it in December Tish I
> don't know and apologise!
> 
> It is an intriguing and baffling tale yet it seems to be coming
> ...


No need to apologise, Mike, glad you are on board now.


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## RnR (May 19, 2021)

Yesterday, the Somerton Man's remains were successfully exhumed from their resting place in Adelaide's West Terrace Cemetery. Despite fears that there may have been little left after more than 70 years in a coffin, police declared the delicate dig had "gone smoothly" and that his "complete remains" had been unearthed.







Authorities are now waiting for the potentially-lengthy forensic process to begin. The process of recovering the man's DNA — and even determining whether there is DNA to be recovered — will be a painstaking one. Several experts are likely to be needed for the attempted DNA extraction.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-20/somerton-man-forensic-process-following-exhumation/100150868


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## Tish (May 22, 2021)

Update on the case, here we go his bones and hair seem in good shape.

Investigators believe there is fresh hope in solving a 70-year-old South Australian cold case after exhumed remains of what is believed to be the Somerton man have been revealed to be in good shape. 
The man’s remains and hair samples from a museum will be used by investigators to try and identify him. His body was found in Adelaide’s Somerton beach on December 1, 1948 and the circumstances surrounding his death are unknown.


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## Kadee (May 22, 2021)

Yes it’s been on our TV day and night as well as the front page story on the Advertiser newspaper everyday   @Tish cause I live in SA ( although not in-the city ) what I seen they carried out the exhuming of his remains with upmost dignity.
Lets Hope they find what they are looking for cause it’s been a huge South Aust mystery for so many years
Was he a spy ? and the lady’s phone number found on him denied knowing him.
The cemetery where he was buried is right on the edge of the city  ( Adelaide ) square mile 

( Adelaide city is an exact square mile )


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## Tish (May 22, 2021)

Kadee46 said:


> Yes it’s been on our TV day and night as well as the front page story on the Advertiser newspaper everyday   @Tish cause I live in SA ( although not in-the city ) what I seen they carried out the exhuming of his remains with upmost dignity.
> Lets Hope they find what they are looking for cause it’s been a huge South Aust mystery for so many years
> Was he a spy ? and the lady’s phone number found on him denied knowing him.
> The cemetery where he was buried is right on the edge of the cities ( Adelaide ) square mile
> ...


That phone number has me really intrigued.


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## Peteb (Jun 3, 2021)

The code.
Why is there an A in the seventh position of every line of over six letters? 
And I have more ...... tomsbytwo.com. .... come see.


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## Peteb (Jun 3, 2021)

Peteb said:


> The code.
> Why is there an A in the seventh position of every line of over six letters?
> And I have more ...... tomsbytwo.com. .... come see.


...... and it is by no means common knowledge that English imported 127 - count them - nazi V2 rocket scientists and technicians to work on weapons development in Salisbury SA in 1948. All of them given new identities. I hope this is of interest to you ... I’m no youngster myself so we might have two things in common.


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## Tish (Jun 4, 2021)

I'm still stuck on the phone number as it an unlisted number, as in you can't look it up in the phone book. ( Back then)
If it was not the Nurse that knew him, someone else in that residence did.
The other thing that sticks out to me is the rare book of poems that someone had stashed in the rear footwell of a car, who owned the car is that person a suspect, or is that person trying to throw the police on to another goose chase?


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## Peteb (Jun 4, 2021)

Tish said:


> I'm still stuck on the phone number as it an unlisted number, as in you can't look it up in the phone book. ( Back then)
> If it was not the Nurse that knew him, someone else in that residence did.
> The other thing that sticks out to me is the rare book of poems that someone had stashed in the rear footwell of a car, who owned the car is that person a suspect, or is that person trying to throw the police on to another goose chase?


Tish, the phone number was listed, I have a pic of the 1947 Adelaide directory page.


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## Peteb (Jun 4, 2021)

Peteb said:


> Tish, the phone number was listed, I have a pic of the 1947 Adelaide directory page.


... and one more thing. No authentic photo of the Rubaiyat exists. The photo of the book that is widely accepted as being the real thing was a media sourced copy.


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## Tish (Jun 5, 2021)

Peteb said:


> ... and one more thing. No authentic photo of the Rubaiyat exists. The photo of the book that is widely accepted as being the real thing was a media sourced copy.


I wonder why the authorities said it was unlisted? There is more to this than meets the eye.
Could you upload the pic of the 1947 directory page, please? I would love to add it to my records.


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## Kadee (Jun 5, 2021)

I haven’t seen any thing in the news or in the daily papers ( The Adelaide Advertiser ) since they exhumed him.
Ive got a sneaky suspicion they may keep his remains for science study because it was reported his remains are fairly intact after 70 plus years  ..who knows ???


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## Peteb (Jun 5, 2021)

Kadee46 said:


> I haven’t seen any thing in the news or in the daily papers ( The Adelaide Advertiser ) since they exhumed him.
> Ive got a sneaky suspicion they may keep his remains for science study because it was reported his remains are fairly intact after 70 plus years  ..who knows ???


Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick, one of the world’s leading forensic genealogists and who once worked with Professor Abbott in his first DNA investigation some years ago, only recently came forward to say (New York Times article, 21 May) that she had traced Rachel Egan’s DNA to Prosper Thomson’s grandparents. This means that the shock Jessica showed when viewing the Somerton Man bust wasn’t because he was the father of her son, Robin. Derek Abbott said, and I quote, “My head is spinning.”
Tish : how can I insert a pic here?


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## Murrmurr (Jun 5, 2021)

Peteb said:


> Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick, one of the world’s leading forensic genealogists and who once worked with Professor Abbott in his first DNA investigation some years ago, only recently came forward to say (New York Times article, 21 May) that she had traced Rachel Egan’s DNA to Prosper Thomson’s grandparents. This means that the shock Jessica showed when viewing the Somerton Man bust wasn’t because he was the father of her son, Robin. Derek Abbott said, and I quote, “My head is spinning.”
> Tish : how can I insert a pic here?


Pete, when you start a post you'll see a toolbar across the top of the conversation box. There's a little picture icon to the right of the smiley. Click that and you'll see how to insert a photo.


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Bingo! Thanks Murrmurr. Here you go Tish, happy to oblige.


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## Kadee (Jun 6, 2021)

Peteb said:


> Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick, one of the world’s leading forensic genealogists and who once worked with Professor Abbott in his first DNA investigation some years ago, only recently came forward to say (New York Times article, 21 May) that she had traced Rachel Egan’s DNA to Prosper Thomson’s grandparents. This means that the shock Jessica showed when viewing the Somerton Man bust wasn’t because he was the father of her son, Robin. Derek Abbott said, and I quote, “My head is spinning.”
> Tish : how can I insert a pic here?


Allot of cold crimes / mysteries have been solved since DNA testing @Peteb
Like a few a few murders that some thought they never be caught or convicted of let alone serve
a prison sentence.
Wow Pete is that a photo or do you have that phone book ? I know that area fairly well how that’s changed over the years , the once open areas close  to the beach now filled with high rise apartments / marinas


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Kadee46 said:


> Allot of cold crimes / mysteries have been solved since DNA testing @Peteb
> Like a few a few murders that some thought they never be caught or convicted of let alone serve
> a prison sentence.
> Wow Pete is that a photo or do you have that phone book ? I know that area fairly well how that’s changed over the years , the once open areas close  to the beach now filled with high rise apartments / marinas


There is a lot more to this mystery than meets the eye, Kadee, and that’s from an old boy who’s been researching and writing about it for a long time. The hands in the photo belong to Gerry Feltus, the cold case investigator ... I’ve used his advice more than once.


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## Kadee (Jun 6, 2021)

So I wonder who’s pushing for answers to prove who he is after all these years ,to be honest I’ve never read the whole story of his death only the headlines  and facts of where and when he was found with no identification on who he was or where he came from in 1947 
Thats the year my hubby was born so that’s 74 years


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Kadee46 said:


> So I wonder who’s pushing for answers to prove who he is after all these years ,to be honest I’ve never read the whole story of his death only the headlines  and facts of where and when he was found with no identification on who he was or where he came from in 1947
> Thats the year my hubby was born so that’s 74 years


Professor Abbott raised enough money through his supporters to finance the dig. He has been pushing for an exhumation for many years, hoping the man’s DNA would link him with his wife. Pure and simple. Now it appears he might be very disappointed.


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## Kadee (Jun 6, 2021)

Not to railroad the excellent thread started by @Tish about this subject 

Have you ever done any done any research into the Beaumont children ? If so it may be interesting to start a thread about them?


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Kadee46 said:


> Not to railroad the excellent thread started by @Tish about this subject
> 
> Have you ever done any done any research into the Beaumont children ? If so it may be interesting to start a thread about them?


Yes. But no more.


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## Tish (Jun 6, 2021)

Yes, I certainly have, I posted a thread about it on here.


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## Tish (Jun 6, 2021)

Peteb said:


> View attachment 168064
> 
> Bingo! Thanks Murrmurr. Here you go Tish, happy to oblige.


Thank you, thank you so very much!


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## Tish (Jun 6, 2021)

This is totally excruciating, I can't find any updates on what they have done with him.
The last news update was May 22nd


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Tish said:


> Thank you, thank you so very much!


How about one of Jessica leaning up against one of Prosper’s cars?


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## Kadee (Jun 6, 2021)

As as person who’s always liked mysteries ( I like watching unsolved crimeshows and Australia’s most wanted ) when it’s on 
 Thank you @Tish and @Peteb for posting this I’ll go look for your postings on the children who disappeared from a days outing to Glenelg , the last I heard anything about them it was suspected their neighbour may have known something about their disappearance


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## Peteb (Jun 6, 2021)

Kadee .. there is a property across the water from Glenelg once owned by the grandfather of a family, one of whom was a party to the investigation. Members of this family are convinced the children are buried there. There is a long narrative supporting this.


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## chic (Jun 7, 2021)

S


Tish said:


> This is totally excruciating, I can't find any updates on what they have done with him.
> The last news update was May 22nd


They're going to exhume him again I heard, but haven't gotten any updates on when for three days. This case makes me wonder. So much about it seems like red herrings planted by murderer and the distractions all worked, incredibly.


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## Tish (Jun 7, 2021)

chic said:


> S
> 
> They're going to exhume him again I heard, but haven't gotten any updates on when for three days. This case makes me wonder. So much about it seems like red herrings planted by murderer and the distractions all worked, incredibly.


I know, it's so strange.


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## Tish (Jun 7, 2021)

Peteb said:


> How about one of Jessica leaning up against one of Prosper’s cars?


Yes Please.


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## Tish (Jun 12, 2021)

Another video on this case has brought up some things I didn't know about.


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## Tish (Sep 23, 2021)

Update Video, very interesting especially considering at his death when his body was examined they took note of his large calf muscles akin to that of a Ballet dancer.
@Mike, I am so excited by this.


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## Murrmurr (Sep 23, 2021)

Tish said:


> Update Video, very interesting especially considering at his death when his body was examined they took note of his large calf muscles akin to that of a Ballet dancer.
> @Mike, I am so excited by this.


Yeah, I watched that video recently. I was bummed that it's basically a teaser, but I'll be watching for the answers coming "in a few months."

Tish, I'm guessing they're related, how 'bout you? But I don't think he was a spy or anything. I think he was just a regular guy, but maybe a dancer....maybe...and maybe he defected from an authoritarian country. Or maybe he was a cyclist.


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## Tish (Sep 23, 2021)

@Murrmurr I am willing to bet they are too. 
I was thinking the same thing, maybe he was a Russian Ballet dancer who defected.
Planning on doing some history searches today on Europian Ballet dancers who defected, and now thanks to you I will also be adding cyclists to the list.
I was really surprised that the hair in the cast only produced 2 DNA bars which aren't enough.
The photo of her father as a baby blew me away he looked so much like the Somerton man and when they did the photo comparison and the ears and teeth matched I was excited. What a shame he was cremated.
Keeping my fingers crossed.


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## Marie5656 (Sep 23, 2021)

Tish said:


> The Somerton Man is probably one of the most internationally renowned of Australia’s unsolved mysteries. Sometimes referred to as the Tamam Shud case, it involves the discovery of a man’s body on Somerton beach in the morning of December 1, 1948. The case is referred to as such because, some months after the body was found, police uncovered a scrap of paper in the man’s pocket on which was printed: tamám shud. The phrase means “ended” or “finished” in Persian.
> 
> Police were unable to identify the man, although his autopsy suggested that he had not died of natural causes but had in fact been poisoned and possibly left at the beach, instead of having died there. Clues on his body seemed to lead to more questions, and it didn’t get any easier when his suitcase was discovered 6 weeks after his body at a train station. The scrap of paper in his pocket came from a rare New Zealand edition of a book of poems, which police tracked down (someone had stashed it in the rear footwell of a car). Inside, they found indentations of other writing, which they believe to be a code or encryption.
> 
> ...


*I just recently saw something about this one on some unsolved mystery type show not long ago.  I love reading about this kind of stuff.*


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## Tish (Sep 23, 2021)

Marie5656 said:


> *I just recently saw something about this one on some unsolved mystery type show not long ago.  I love reading about this kind of stuff.*


Me too, it would be awesome to solve this case or at least give him an identity.


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## Tish (Jul 26, 2022)

They have finally solved it.

A professor who has dedicated decades to solving one of Australia's most enduring mysteries claims he has discovered the identity of the Somerton man.

Derek Abbott, from the University of Adelaide, says the body of a man found on one of the city's beaches in 1948 belonged to Carl "Charles" Webb, an electrical engineer and instrument maker born in Melbourne in 1905.

South Australia Police and Forensic Science South Australia have not verified the findings of Abbott, who worked with renowned American genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick to identify Webb as the Somerton man.


@Marie5656 @Murrmurr @Mike @Kadee46 @RnR

https://www.9news.com.au/world/some...r-claims/7b56072a-4e86-42ff-a096-2d01c402a1f9


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## Kadee (Jul 27, 2022)

Thanks @Tish I seen that on the news on my iPad  what a relief for this man’s family
if he has any ?? and the people behind the 70+ years of research to try to identify
the mystery “ Somerton man“ Wonder if they will now re - bury his remans with his name on his grave instead of the unknown man found on Somerton beach in 1948.

We took part in a SA history tour and walked right past his grave about 6-7 years ago

Thanks for the “tag”  it’s something I’ve always been interested in each time it’s popped up in the news
It’s sad the Beaumont children’s disappearance still remains a mystery, where they disappeared from  (Glenelg) is only about 2 km from where the Somerton man was found.

So with SM now being solved at long last, let’s hope the investigators can now solve what happed to the children


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## Kadee (Jul 27, 2022)

This is the tour we did it was very interesting @Tish

https://www.wea-sa.com.au/


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## Pinky (Jul 27, 2022)

Kadee46 said:


> Thanks @Tish I seen that on the news on my iPad  what a relief for this man’s family
> if he has any ?? and the people behind the 70+ years of research to try to identify
> the mystery “ Somerton man“ Wonder if they will now re - bury his remans with his name on his grave instead of the unknown man found on Somerton beach in 1948.
> 
> ...


@Kadee46 
Good to see you!

@Tish 
This is quite the breakthrough, after so many decades. May his soul Rest In Peace.


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## Kadee (Jul 27, 2022)

Pinky said:


> @Kadee46
> Good to see you!
> 
> @Tish
> This is quite the breakthrough, after so many decades. May his soul Rest In Peace.


Thanks @Pinky I got a message notification in my Email and seen that I also had  “likes“ and got carried away answering about the subject of the Somerton man.
A mystery that’s always interested me and has been in and out of the local news most of my life. 

Im in Queensland  ( Gold Coast) for a month trying to thaw out for all our freezing winds / rain in South Aust.


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## Tish (Jul 28, 2022)

Kadee46 said:


> Thanks @Tish I seen that on the news on my iPad  what a relief for this man’s family
> if he has any ?? and the people behind the 70+ years of research to try to identify
> the mystery “ Somerton man“ Wonder if they will now re - bury his remans with his name on his grave instead of the unknown man found on Somerton beach in 1948.
> 
> ...





Kadee46 said:


> This is the tour we did it was very interesting @Tish
> 
> https://www.wea-sa.com.au/
> 
> View attachment 231528


Those tours really look interesting. I really hope they rebury him under his name.
I am wondering when and if he has any offspring, it must be a huge relief to them.



Pinky said:


> @Kadee46
> Good to see you!
> 
> @Tish
> This is quite the breakthrough, after so many decades. May his soul Rest In Peace.


I agree and I hope he does rest in peace now.


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## Alligatorob (Jul 28, 2022)

Thanks for this @Tish just read through it.  Mostly new to me, one of our great mysteries.

Now we know who he was, do we know how he died, who did it, or why?


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## Tish (Jul 28, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Thanks for this @Tish just read through it.  Mostly new to me, one of our great mysteries.
> 
> Now we know who he was, do we know how he died, who did it, or why?


Unfortunately, we don't know how he died or why as yet.


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