Thanks to online commenter Clive (who was at a screening of the Somerton Man documentary in Glenelg a short time ago), we now know that “Ronald Francis” (in whose car the Somerton Man’s Rubaiyat was found) was in fact Dr Douglas Buxton Hendrickson of 13 Pier St, Glenelg. The information (announced by Derek Abbott at the showing) appeared online on Gordon Cramer’s blog, where it rapidly accreted additional notes courtesy of Byron Deveson and others.
Here’s a picture of Dr Hendrickson from 1950 (found by Clive in Trove):
We know a little more about his (non-medical) interests from this 1944 article:
DR. D. B. Hendrickson’s election to the Glenelg Council for St. Leonard’s Ward comes at an appropriate time, for it is just 105 years since his great-grandfather, the late Mr. John Lawrence) landed from Holdfast Bay at St. Leonards after a voyage from Fifeshire (Scotland). At 34. Dr. Hendrickson is the youngest member of the council. He is a brother of Lyndall Hendrickson, the violinist. He learned the piano for 18 months, when a boy. but says he then became lazy. There was certainly no sign of laziness about him in the boxing ring. A fine amateur boxer, he not only won his Adelaide University blue for boxing, but also displayed great gameness in the ring.
Other hobbies include debating, horse riding, surfing, fishing, and stamp collecting.
Dr Hendrickson’s Timeline
* 18th February 1911: born in Balaklava, South Australia.
* 15th June 1933: Married Eileen Ivy Schurgott at Claremont, South Australia
* Dec 1941: Divorced
* 25th July 1942: Married Doris Arculas Arculus Davis at Perth, WA
* 23rd September 1979: Died Adelaide
From this, it was immediately clear that Gerry Feltus (who was assigned the Somerton Man cold case after 2000, The Unknown Man pp.11) could not have interviewed Dr Hendrickson (who had died in 1979). So it seems a reasonably safe bet that it was not Hendrickson himself but rather Hendrickson’s brother-in-law with whom Gerry Feltus had talked (The Unknown Man pp.104-105). However, Dr Hendrickson had two younger sisters…
* Cynthia Elizabeth b. Gilbert, SA in 1914. (Died 7th April 2008 at Holly Residential Care, Adelaide.)
* Lyndall Maud b. Gilbert, SA in 1917.
…and hence two brothers-in-law…
* Cynthia married Sgt. John Hurst in March 1945.
* Lyndall married Surgeon-Lieut. Graeme Robson, son of Lieut.-Colonel and Mrs. O. W. E. Robson, of Mosman.
There’s a nice picture of (the very talented violinist) Lyndall Hendrickson from 1942 here:
It was reported before Lyndall’s marriage in 1946 that she planned to move to England to continue her musical career there. So… might she still be alive and living in Penzance in Cornwall (at the tender age of 101)? It’s possible.
Two Hendrickson Car Stories
Here’s the first one from 1946:
Car Licence Suspended For an Hour
One hour’s disqualification from driving his car was imposed by Mr. Coombe, S.M.. in the Adelaide Police Court today on Dr. Douglas Buxton Hendrickson, of Pier street, Glenelg, who pleaded guilty to a charge of having driven his car at Adelaide on November 2 while it was uninsured.
In addition to the disqualification he was fined £5.
For having on the same day driven his motor car while it was unregistered he was fined £1 with 10/ costs.MINIMUM REDUCED
Mr. Coombe said that he would not have ordered any disqualification in this case had he the power to do so. However, he could reduce the minimum term of three months.
Dr. Hendrickson told the court that owing to the pressure of work during the recent measles epidemic he had overlooked the matter of the renewal of his car’s insurance and registration.
When he was stopped by motor traffic police at 11.45 a.m. on November 2 he was returning from the city, where he had been to collect measles serum.
“If my licence is suspended for any great length of time I will find it difficult to carry on my practice without inconvenience to my patients.” said Dr. Hendrickson.Mr. Coombe said that there were special reasons why, in this case, he had decided to reduce the minimum fine and term of disqualification.
Mr. J. L. Travers appeared for Dr. Hendrickson.
And (on a lighter note) here’s the second one from 1941:
Girl Charmed A Snake; Can’t Get Rid Of It.
MISS LYNDALL HENDRICKSON, TALENTED YOUNG ADELAIDE VIOLINIST, IS SORRY NOW THAT SHE CHARMED A PYTHON.
It followed her into a car at Whyalla, when, for a bet, she charmed it with her violin music.
She had to return to Port Augusta with the python a 6½ft. pet of a Whyalla storekeeper — behind the back seat.
It was still there the next morning. The owner wants it back alive, so, if Miss Hendrickson can’t charm it out of the car with her violin, part of the car will have to be dismantled.
(Lyndall had another snake-related story reported here.)
It looks as if Dr Hendrickson had one of the unusual SM/Robin Thomson type ears with an unusual cymba to cavuum ratio. Could they perhaps be related?
Not sure if I’m the first to advise, but neither John Hurst or Graeme Robson appear to satisfy the specific Feltus critea for the brother in law scenario, even though they were both living in Adelaide at the relevent time. The address 13 Pier Street Genelg is next along from 11 where I think Walter Bridgeland was living at the time. My Wally was nominated as a Francis candidate quite a while ago, so perhaps if that’s where the car was parked, his file could be revisited for a closer scrutiny.
Wrong as usual; The Bridgelands lived at 8 Pier St., which is opposite 11/3 and down from 13. They had moved from Partridge some time before the war, after their two kids were born and seem to have remained, at least until Wally passed on in ‘87. Walter was Lord Mayor of Adelaide in the sixties, but had many years on the council as alderman and had previously, amongst other posts, held the office of Metropolitan Taxi Board Commissioner. A pretty big man was our war medal bedecked Colonel Walter Bridgland OBE, MOA, SAFOY, RHSAM and quite on par with his step dad the state Premier and nephew Rex Lipman, who only left us in 2015, as I have mentioned I’m sure. I’m sure they must have known Doc Hendrickson well and would have been pretty knowledgeable about SM too.
Another interesting story, even if it happened later: Hendrickson as a staff member at the Minda Home for retarded children conducted a digging-the-dunes search for the Beaumont children who had disappeared from Glenelg beach in 1966: http://archive.is/OEryZ
Surfers are lovers, Byron, I have that on good authority.
Thomas: it’s an interesting angle, but I was planning to come back to that later. More important in the short term to work out who the brother-in-law was.
Nick: Graeme Alvin Robson and John Frederick Hurst died in 1965 and ’81 respectively, which had they been Doug Hendrickson’s (died ’79) brothers-in-law as appears most likely, then what would that say for Gerry Feltus interview circa. 2010 with Ron? and the family. Only chance for his credability repieve would be, had there been a divorce and a sister remarried.
I note that Dr Hendrickson’s sister Cynthia Elizabeth nee Hendrickson died 07 Apr 2008 – Holly Residential Care, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Maybe Cynthia was “Ron Francis”?
Byron: perhaps it was indeed Cynthia who Gerry Feltus talked with. It seems likely to me that Dr Hendrickson had a carful that day, including Cynthia and her husband in the back.
The index for the South Australian Police Gazette 1946 lists:
Does anyone happen to have access to the whole of the 1946 police gazette?
Nick: With respect, didn’t Feltus tell you that he had spoken to Ron Francis, the man himself, about the Hillman Minx and the claim that that the ROK was found by his brother-in-law in the vehicle. You didn’t seem to believe it, but chose to give him a pass for some reason that I couldn’t quite fathom. Now that we have new evidence which provides as many questions as answers, do you wish to re-evaluate what Gerry said or didn’t say. It is a conundrum to be sure, but we might attempt to work through it all, so long a we can attempt to figure out what is fact, what is heresay and what is neither.
John sanders: at the time, I believed that Gerry was telling us not the whole truth, but rather a slightly “doctored” version of it. How true! 🙂
I can’t see any evidence to suggest Dr. hendrickson having been the shy and retiring type, on the contrary, he appears to have been fairly accessable to the press when engaged with his son (bn.1952) in the dunes re the ’66 Beaumont search. Having been known to police for fairly serious traffic violations in ‘46, it doesn’t seem quite right that they would have agreed to make any sort of a pact with the man for coming forward on the ROK find. Let’s also not forget that when the inquest was re-convened in 1958, nothing at all came out on the all important issue of the untested ROK evidence. Whatsmore he could have told what he knew in camera and his evidence considered without any formal identification being needed. It reeks to the core and we are never likely to learn any more, so long as we take on board all the crap that we have been fed by by Sapol, long past and more recently. Stuff that we are supposed to accept with a shrug, like so called spring cleaning of primary evidence, misslaid autopsy reports, police files and court documents unaccounted for just don’t hold water…and what’s worse, I’ve been summoned to bed. G‘nite…
John: we’ve only just learned his name, give us a chance to find out a bit more before dismissing him out of hand based on nothing. 🙂
Why only two brothers-in-law (husbands of his sisters)? Is it sure that his wife Doris Arculas Davis had no brothers?
Thomas: it’s a good question, one that I guess might possibly be further extended to include siblings of his first wife Eileen Ivy Schurgott.
The second wife’s name was Doris Arculus (not Arculas) Davis, younger daughter of Mr T. Davis, Parkside, Perth, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74618739
Thomas: initially, I wasn’t sure if that was right, given that the article misspelled “Buxton” as “Brixton”. 😉
However, here’s a link to Douglas and Doris’ gravestone listing (“HENDRICKSON, Susan Merle & Douglas Buxton & Doris Arculus”) confirming the Arculus spelling, and which also has the daughter they lost:
* https://headstones2.weebly.com/north-road-h-r.html
Dr Graeme Robson (he was a surgeon in the Royal Australian Navy during WW2) only died in the last year or so.
Other children of Dr Douglas Buxton Hendrickson,
James Douglas (also called John) born 1945 and Rosemary Jane. Both christened see Advertiser 9th December 1952 page 8
Maybe James (known as John) was the person who came forward with information?
Douglas Buxton Hendrickson’s mother was:
Maude Boadicea BUXTON 1883–1969
BIRTH 30 NOV 1883 • Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
DEATH 19 MAR 1969 • Wakefield Street Private Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Got a long shot on a John B. Cleland tie in with Ron Francis along maternal lines through the snake charmers in-laws the Robsons of Mosman, whose son Graeme died, as I said on 5/5/65. Ron’s first wife was of second generation Oz of German origins and she backed up with yet another AMC/RAAF doctor (Colonel m.i.d.) of Jewish background and a resident of Adelaide Hospital (ala John Dwyer). I’m quite sure that she had at least three brothers…..I don’t see this thread going too far as I really don’t trust it’s verity one bit. I expect a proliferation of fake news to follow if we allow ourselves to take the bait.
Just to make a point. What connects a news photo of a Col. Ewan Murray Robson taking the Japanese surrender, along with a little editorial about his post war right wing political connections. This tells us nothing about any likely possible relationship to Ron Francis; And in much the same way neither does the confusing mention of an unrelated Colonel O.W.B. Robson, Lt. Cmdr. G. A. Robson’s dad. Unless as I suggested, one of them had been a close relative of John Cleland’s wife Isabel, through her mum Isabella Ann M. Robson.
According to rootsweb his second wife Doris Arculus Davis was born on 19 Sep 1914 in Kapunda. Father: Thomas Herbert DAVIS. Mother: Eliza Arculus TRAIN. On rootsweb I couldn’t find a brother of Doris.
His first wife Eileen Ivy Schurgott was born on 14 Jul 1914 in Glenelg. Father : William Frederick SCHURGOTT. Mother : Sarah POWELL. A further search on rootsweb didn’t yield a brother. Thus the husbands of Dr Hendrickson’s sisters seem to have been the only brothers-in-laws.
BTW: In 1948 Dr Hendrickson worked for the South Glen Private Hospital in Glenelg, most likely as a pediatrician/gynecologist, since many parents thanked him and his staff because of their children born there.
2 coinky dinks stood out to me in that lot. Boxing and Horse Riding.
Byron Deveson:
Graeme Robson died already in 1965, https://www.pressreader.com/australia/the-advertiser/20170902/282484298903901
@Thomas: What relationship are his wife’s sisters’ hudbands (if she had sister(s) and they were married)? (w/c)ould they also be BiL, or is there a different term for that relationship?
Also, let’s not forget the human factor. Sometimes a relationship is simplest explained inaccurately. eg A lot of culture’s would refer to a close family friend as ‘cousin’ (and even more cultures have loose definitions of cousin, uncle, aunt etc). Just because we’re told ‘Brother in Law’, doesn’t necessarily mean that’s 100% accurate (it might, for example, be the simplest way to explain a mistress’ brother or something). As with any ‘fact’ in this mystery, I think sometimes you have to accept some artistic license from the sources of ‘truth’…
2c
Thomas: thanks, that’s a really great source. It also would seem to imply that Lyndall Robson (Hendrickson) herself died not long before 2017, so it looks very much as though – thanks to Gerry Feltus – everyone involved has now died before we found out their names.
Since Lyndall Robson nee Hendrickson died July 22, 2017, and – according to John Sanders – John Frederick Hurst had passed away already in 1981, maybe it was her who Feltus talked with?
Hendrickson and Brown must surely have been acquainted by the mid sixties and possibly going as far back as the Ron Francis episode. It seems that they both probably shared an interest in e.s.p., as I’m sure we all must, or we wouldn’t be here sucking up the furphies….Eileen Schurgott’s better catch was Colonel Howard Edelman and Sgt. Hurst’s death in 1981, is according to the records, I’m merely the humble messenger, and speaking of red bands, a big thanks to Flash Gordon for thumbs up on the Colonel Robson fake news acknowledgement.
On the basis that our our ex Sapol Detective Snr. Sgt. G. Feltus must have had all the guts on Hendrickson for quite some time, likely going back to his days in the job, I see a fat chance that we might rehash it and chance to come up with something he may have missed. One show of hope would be if we can hook up old J.B Cleland, the one guy who could have planted the TS slip, and his second cousin?, or great nephew?, Graeme Alvin Robson. who can say that the pair may not have conspired on the ROK surrender, under a most unusual amnesty deal with Det. Sgt. Leane. In that connection, I got off to an excellent start, possibly getting J. B. Cleland and Niece? Elsie Robson (Graeme’s mum) on the same remote S.A. nature research locality (J.B.’s field research island), which is a hopeful start….I wonder did any of our more celebrated, financially paid up researchers ever look into Adelaide Hospital’s Medical & Scientific Archives 1921/48 (J.B. Cleland Ed.), for it seems that his notes on SM’s autopsy may be found there amongst 1000 others that he saw as being interesting enough to share with us.
It don’t feel right…
GF used Teresa for Jessica because we could get Tessie which was like Jessie.
Now one of GF’s big critics (namesake of a recent Prime Minister) has Chinese Whispered to someone at the launch of a movie that Hendrickson was Francis.
Further, if you recall, it was thedude (or someone, might have been a 747 there too….I’m bad with names) that was claiming someit was about to leak, and then eventually Clive (via Abbott) breaks the news…so from a little murmur from a relative quiet source (sorry thedude), to a story broken somewhere between two players who have been at this a long time – and had plenty of opportunity since the film was launched (which is apparently where our ‘Purple Monkey Dishwasher’ happened) to speak up…..but we’ve waited instead an extra couple weeks. Someit just ain’t adding up.
Putting aside for a second the issues with the timeline (if GF spoke to people this century then they must have been alive this century), where’s the cleverness in the pseudonym? Granted, it don’t need to be there, but the way TESSIE is presented in the book I’d expect some sort of link in there…
If we could figure out all the complexities between medical opinion in the ‘Neill Ducking Rag‘ case of March/June 1951 where Dwyer and Cleland fell out over post/pre mortem bruising and attribution, we might have a punt on whether Dr.Robson was railroaded and if so, precisely what for. It seems that one of the doctors a John Sangster, who accused our innocent B-in-L of pinching ten bobs worth of morphia and topping up the phials with water (unbelievable), may have been criminally culpable in the Neill manslaughter case for attempted manipulation to pervert the course of justice. It all seems pretty messy at first bluff but looking at things with my usual jaundiced eye, I find myself picking over the moist scab of an as yet unhealed, internally festering wound from SM’s inquest some two years previously. Maybe a case of professional jealousy or better still, something more likely to do with John Burton Cleland’s planted TS slip that Dr. John Matthew Dwyer knew about, but dared not disclose. We also might bare in mind that Drs. J.W.Sangster, H.W.Hamilton, H.J.Edelman were all Army physicians of field rank with John Dwyer the highest at Colonel. Poor Dr. Graeme Robson happened to be Navy and only equivilent to Captain ranking which I’d think to be relevent if we’re talking about one upmanship or pay back.
milongal: And so right you are. WHY did it take a full month for this crap to break. This is cover up and I’m thinking it all started with in-house cleansing from when the secret handshake club took over at behest of old man Leane and his lodge mates at the very top, for the reputation of a brother clansman who stuffed up. All for the sake of some unknown dumb cluck alien circus clown, or whatever, who offed himself (no doubt lads) and had the temerity to think that his passing might be worth inquiring into. Of course he didn’t consider the posssibilty that the Adelaide social club might take exception to one of their esteemed brethren getting embroiled in a bitter fight over the victim’s rights to a fair and just determination. On one side you had poor papist John M. Dwyer who tried to do his job without fear or favour, as per his ‘hipocrytic oath’. On the other, the most celebrated medical practicioner who ever lived, pulling a silly stunt in order to circumvent the law for the sake of his reputation. At the end of the day, with the great man garnering support with lodge pals, from an ex police commissioner all the way up to the very top most likely, our poor disollusioned Tyke saw bones Dr. John D. From Moseley Street had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept an O.B.E. with good grace as payoff for doing nothing in particular, then hold his counsel. That’s how it all went down, everyone knew it. It is and was all so obvious from the get go. it’s just as obvious now and here we are seventy years on, still fighting over the poor Slav’s? mouldering bones at West Terrace cemetery. That’s where it stands now, as I see it and so we await the vultures turn to fight over the spoils and claim the prize. Nothing changes and so may Heaven help those who, when they get the nod, to pick over old SM’s remains, if their still in place…
Almost forgot Sir Santon Hicks in that lot; Another great man with allsorts of fancy qualifications, though predominantly related to chemistry, police forensic analysis and the like. He claimed to have been lieutenant in the NZ Territorials and later an NCO in WW1, though records are lacking and he was probably having a lend of those he told. There was of course his esteemed King Edward the abdicator’s knighthood bestowal at a young age, though for what, is not clear. There is little doubt about his WW2 record, for he soon became the most popular Colonel in Australia’s rearguard defence, having, as chief cook & baitlayer, introduced scientific based diets for soldiers doing it tough in the home based mess camps, establishing The Army Catering Corps to boot…. Sir Cedric Stanton Hicks, was most likely in need of a little pick-me-up, in the form of an simple suicide poisoning case, at behest of his close pal J.B. Cleland no less. Poor Ced had just gone through a messy divorce and the tidy cheque for his expert opinion would be most welcome. All he had to do was fall into line with Burt’s own earlier testimony, then spring forth with his little discreet hanwritten note for the Coroner, spelling out ‘digitalis & glycoside (not glucose-aide)….Everything seems to have worked out fine for our dedicated man of science Ph. D in the end; He wrote some books including his auto bio. “Who Called the Bastard a Cook” and managed to wangle a full military funeral it seems.
For some reason my attemps to get the resumed ‘58 follow up whitwash inquest back on Derick’s site isn’t working. From memory I recall, the police, in the form of Dets. Moran and Thomas stated that there was no further progress to report, this being despight them now having all the guts on the ROK Jestyn/Boxall developments post ‘48 inquest to offer for Coroner Cleleland to deliberate on. Even though J.B. Cleland was still most active in his much celebrated pursuits of PNG canibal cuisine etc., re affirmation of his earlier evidence concerning chance finding of the secreted Tamam Shud slip seemed unnecessary. And yet his buddy, Sir Cedric Stanton Hicks was called, to now more specifically state his belief regarding the poison most likely responsible for SM’s demise. Something seems to be not quite kosher in my opinion, but I guess alls well that ends well, sine die?????
@JS: I remember you flagging Boxall’s Rubaiyat as being a different Fitzgerald translation (and therefore vs 70 not being ‘indeed, indeed….’, but I don’t recall what version it said (could you please remind me)…
Fitzgerald’s 2nd edition has 70 as:
And from the 3rd edition onwards (roughly):
For some reason, this third one catches my interest, but not really sure why…
NB: It does occur to me that ‘Edition’ might refer to publishing house edition rather than translation edition…
Incidentally for shirts and giggles (and random coincidence) I found in a 1912 S&M almanac from NSW:
Chettle W. V., “Bryn Estyn “, Raymond St, St Leonards
I think it’s been asked before, but how would a local know that the Rubiayat appeared in his car in Jetty Road? Presumably it was found by his family after having been parked in Jetty Road, but it may have been there before then.
Suppose (purely as an example) he attended a family shinding at the Jetty hotel, and was planning to travel on to the Parafield air show. While at the Shindig, one or more of his rellies asked for a ride to the air show and climbing into the car discovered the booklet. But what if the book had already been there BEFORE jetty road? What if the book had appeared there in Pier St? Number 11 Pier St (across an alley) was the Waterworth Guest House (run my a Mrs A Laycock) and number 15 (the other side of Moselet St) was Pier Private Hospital (staffed by nurses E Bell and A Beasley) [Not sure whether Hendrickson was connected to the hospital, although he’s listed as a physician in Glenelg before 13 Pier appears in the S&M – but there seems some distance between the house and the hospital] NB: S&M originally lists Moseley St as between 11 and 13, but I think this is a mistake because in later editions it’s between 13 and 15.
Waterworth Guest House is a LARGE building (today it’s 3 appartments) and appears in a “Glenelg Mansion Walk”, and may have housed more than 1 visitor at a time, and the alley between that and 13 may have been a short cut for visitors on their way into Glenelg or to a bus stop – but equally there would be plenty of foot traffic down pier St on the way to the beach, or heading home from the Pub on Brighton Rd (or Glenelg Oval, but not sure there’d be much on there in November).
Either way, what would make Hendrickson (if the book was indeed in Hendrickson’s car) so sure that it appeared there while parked in Jetty Road and not at his House? It seems to me a touch odd that you would find something in your car that you can’t explain, but be quite certain when it must have manifested itself there, no?
Everyone who is anyone SM connected, must by now surely have seen the S.A. Film Corp blockbuster. But did you know that they also produced another forty minute related ‘A’ rated thriller, which I’d say would be well be worth a gander in the company of an Adult companion…Library Australia, 3153541 @ S.A Film & Video centre 202-51. Title: Stamina Menswear Manufacture 1950…Clive and thedude747 would be into it for the thrill of seeing how the fabled fob pocket was installed I’m sure. I’ve heard that the attachment of the size marking labels are also well worth close scrutiny eg. size ‘regular’ which identifies with SM’s pair, stood for an inside leg measurement of 28″ most suitable for gents in the 5′ 7″ to 5′ 8″ height range which perhaps may have looked a little short legged on our man, had he really been 5′ 11″ in height, as most of the Det. Feltus and BS followers would accept unwaveringly.
milongal: Verse 102/110 of the 2nd Edition should do it for you. Words are basically the same apart from two hyphens (1 squirly) and a period for a pause… That Bryn Estyn name comes up in Tasmania moreso than in the mainland states…Socrates chose to be offed with Hemlock (Australian carrot fern) because he couldn’t bare being slandered. We can only wonder whether SM was allowed to choose his own poison and whether Bob Cowan tested for it; Perhaps one of the all knowing BS mob could advise…
Bryn Estyn in Tassie dates from the 60’s (I think)…..it’s a Welsh thing, and I don’t speak Welsh (but perhaps then appropriately appears in NSW)….It meaneth nothing, but was more amused by the coincidental location in St LEonards….
thanks JS. More sort of (thinking about) entertaining the idea that v70 is important, but v70 from ed1 is deliberately left to hide the significance of the v70 they’re flagging (which would be sort of nice in an ed3 “He knows….HE KNOWS” sort of scenario…., but not so much under ed2)
Milongal: Not sure who the plato-tudes were intended for. Neither Gerry nor any other Australian need worry too much about breaches of the so called Official Secrets Act. As you’ll be aware there ain’t one, and never was as far as I know, so being in breach, would be about as difficult as being guilty of espionage in the Commonwealth, back in 1948. As far as it goes, the Feltus official police file disclosures in his novel were not secret, merely confidential and probably not for publication or profit, but who gives a rats bottom. Only BS visiting Aboriginals, Torres Straits Islanders and paid up AfIO members who were formerly intelligent.
Since Gerry Feltus’s book isn’t available as a Kindle edition any more, may I ask: What has he literally written about the finding of the Rubayat in the car? Is there an excerpt online?
I wish there were a register containing all the names mentioned in all the S.M. related posts (something like the appendices to Tolstoi’s novels)!
milongal: Now that you’ve brought Alf Boxall’s ROK back in, it just gives me chance to reiteratate that I’m quite sure it was one used as a dual language, opposing page text book to teach SME Small Ships NCOs to learn Malay & Indonesian fundamentals. The inaugural three week prep course, commenced on 26/6/44 and involved engineers preparing for seaborn infiltration of Japanese strongholds in islands off Johore Bahru, Malaya and other planned clandestine landings in the region. Malay is an extremely easy lingo to pick up, there being no tones or grammar to digest, plain standard Romanised text, with a great many words having similar spelling to English, Portugese or Dutch counterparts. I don’t buy the Jestyn hand over to Alfred on his (GF alleged) departure for a stint of ‘active service’ in June, ‘45. For that matter, her wrongly slotted verse 70, amply saturated with micro coding no doubt, is undated so we can never be sure just how y’man ended up with it, or how close perhaps, the Russian allies came to learning the AIF’s battle plans.
Nurse G.E. Robson 23 from W.A. arrived in Sydney to take up her first military assignment at 118 hospital in June ’45. The only 118 hospital in NSW was the big Yank job, purpose built in ’42 for their expected Pacific theatre casualties. A little out of the way to mix with the girls from RNSH where Jestyn worked, but conveniently situated on the Georges River, downstream of RAE base where our Alf was at that time posted as an instructer with small ships. Being a young vulnerable country lass without family of her own, she duly nominated A. Boxall to be her next of kin after a thorough vetting do doubt….Of course we are not to know whether her NOK was our ROK/2 Alf or even if she may have been related to ROK/1 Robson? . All this came up with my ongoing attempts to link our old Knight of the realm John Cleland to Dr. Graeme Robson’s family from Mosman. My instincts would say not a show, but you never know your luck in a big city like Sydney, where off duty nurses were in big demand back in 1945. Alf’s mate Xavier knew that and wrote it up in his ‘Soldiers Women’.
Scrub the nurse; NOK likely Arthur John Boxall, English born, 1889 same town Katanning W.A. NOK Edith. Robson? go figure.
@Thomas Abbott has a reasonable list (search for ‘List of people connected to Somerton Man eleceng’ (I know eleceng is in the URL for his Adelaide uni pages)).
There’s also a wiki called An Empty Glass‘ that goes through connected people….not sure whether it’s maintained (actually, not sure how current either of them are) or whether its intention was that we (the interested public) should maintain it….
milongal: Much appreciated!
Hi guys it was very interesting reading these blogs
Some family updates
I am David Hendrickson, son of dr Douglas Hendrickson, I was born in 1955, and the youngest sibling.
James Hendrickson is my brother he is about 4 years older.
Rosemary is my sister who is 7 years older than me.
And John is My eldest brother some 10 years older than me.
Doris hendrickson my mother only had one sister, no brothers.
My fathers first marriage resulted in one daughter , Carlien, who married Dr Meldrum, a noted psychiatrist, in Crafers Adelaide, and they had 4 children.
I hope this helps
David: Thanks for taking the time to drop in. Don’t know about you, but I always felt that your dad would have been a more likely candidate for the mysterious Ron Francis than Jack Freeman if such a soul existed. In 1948 your uncle Dr.Graeme Robson was in Adelaide and an excellent choice for the missing brother-in-law; whereas chemist Freeman was not known to be so blessed. I seem to recall that your folks were living at corner of Pier and Moseley Sts. before your time, though I think it was you who helped day with the Beaumont search at nearby Minda dunes…Would love to here your thoughts on the case, especially relating to other family recollections of the time in question.
@David: some time ago there was some discussion about what and where the “dugouts” were. Is this something you might recall on the beach that you could help with?
Specifically, from memory I’d always assumed they were South of where SM was found (perhaps near Brighton), but others seemed to think it was more likely North (possibly near the Broadway).
I’m an ex-pat South Aussie, but lived most of my time in SA on the LeFevre Peninsula. I’ve previously offered some “pseudo-local” opinion here before, but I think the beaches of Taperoo, Largs and Semaphore are somewhat different to those at Grange and further South (I know that they actually get deep…..down my way you could walk out reasonably far and barely get your knees wet (slight exaggeration, perhaps….)) – so would be interesting to hear some much more localised (and closer to the era) knowledge of Glenelg and surrounding suburbs and beaches (and beach culture)….
Rosemary Hendricksen I would love to reestablish contact if you would like to. I don’t know your married name. I hope you are well and happy. If anyone can transmit this message to Rosemary I would be so grateful. I think of you often Rosie.
Michael Bull
Email. [email protected].