I’ve started to amass the raw data for an open source time of death calculation for the Somerton Man.
* The Adelaide Advertiser, 30th November 1948, p.8.
* The Adelaide Advertiser, 1st December 1948, p.10.
* The Adelaide Advertiser, 2nd December 1948, p.6.
30th November 1948
Sunset 7.14pm
Moon set 6.51pm – New Moon
High tide 4.52pm (6.0ft), low tide 10.10pm (2.4ft)
Temperature min 52.1°, max 76.3° [i.e. 11.2°C to 24.6°C]
Barometer 30.05 (3am), 30.09 (9am), 29.99 (3pm), 30.03 (9pm)
Relative humidity 58% (9am), 43% (3pm), 57% (9pm)
1st December 1948
Sunrise 4.56am
Moon rise 4.51am – New Moon.
High tide 4.34am (9.0ft), low tide 11.11am (1.0ft).
Temperature min 65.7°, max 96.0° [i.e. 18.7°C to 35.5°C]
Barometer 29.87 (3am), 29.86 (9am), 29.70 (3pm), 29.71 (9pm)
Relative humidity 20% (9am), 18% (3pm), 39% (9pm)
The initial surprise was that this was a short but extremely dark night – the sun and (new) moon both set around 7pm and rose just before 5am. As a result, anyone observing any event after sunset that evening / night would have had to have been relying almost entirely on street lights.
The second surprise that the high tide at 4.34am was a spring tide (i.e. a very strong tide, and nothing to do with the season ‘Spring’). That is, at the time of a New Moon, what can happen is that one of the two normal tides a day can be exaggerated by the gravitational force of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun all lining up in what is called a “syzygy“, from the Greek ζυγον meaning “yoke”. (I used to play Scrabble with my Grandma after school, and I’m sure she’d have thoroughly appreciated that word: this was the first time I’ve managed to use it in its proper context).
However, I haven’t yet found good enough information to be sure what the temperature was during the night, and I also can’t make out the wind direction or speed from Trove’s scans of the Adelaide Advertiser’s weather maps. If anyone has access to better information for these, please say!
Also, I don’t know how far up Somerton Beach the 9ft high tide would have come at 4.34am. The man’s body would surely have to have been fairly close to the sea wall, simply to have avoided been washed over by the waves. Just a thought!
Nick: You may need to check the sand accumulation on the beach as well, sometimes strong tides over time can deposit large quantities of sand on the beach, particularly if there has been no weather disturbances to wash it back out into the offshore sandbanks.
Then, of course, you would need an opinion on the hardness of the wet sand, this would depend on the granular makeup of the sand particular to Somerton Beach, which may have changed since 1948, for whatever reason.
We really need to get this guy’s DNA. I don’t care how much formaldehyde they pumped into him, there has to be some that is salvageable. If we can get DNA from prehistoric Neanderthal bones I assume we could do the same with his bones.
…Although sand accumulation levels are the next best thing and I would also support that.
Nick for weather and most other data try wolfram alpha and enter the term for example:
weather adelaide south australia november 30th 1948
You should get an hour by hour view of temperatures, wind speed, humidity etc. In this case you will need to take two shots the next one using the date december1st.
I just did that search and found that the temperature didn’t drop below 20 C overnight. Quite warm.
It’s a legal issue that has been ruled on, exhumation requires more justification. It is possible that in the plaster cast there could be some sealed hair (with roots/dna). If someone had evidence that he may be a relative then they would have justification. A chicken or egg situation.
Has anyone gone over photos from the period and figured out the position and likely strength of light sources? It needs to be considered. Since he possibly wrote the code in the book, has anyone analysed the writing to elucidate possible regions of education, or if the author was right or left handed?
Those are two things i don’t have sources for.
Nick, are you planning on consolidating the available photographs, documents, and primary sources somewhere?
I’ve been having a look around for historical climatic data, and it appears that the closest weather station operating at the time was Parafield Airport (Adelaide Airport is closer to the site, but didn’t open until February 1955.) As a cross check, I pulled the max/min data for Parafield for the dates in question, and they’re a reasonable match for those given in the Advertiser:
30 Nov 1948
Max 25.6
Min 10.2
Rainfall – nil
1 Dec 1948
Max 36.4
Min 20.7
Rainfall – nil
I contacted BoM to get a quote for more detailed data; they do have a fair bit of data that can be purchased, in addition to that available on the website. Unfortunately, it’s quite expensive (and we’d probably want to request a sample of the format / content fields first to make sure it’s actually useful.)
An example of the level of detail available: “Synoptic observations (6-8 readings per day) of wind speed and direction at Parafield Airport {23013}, from 29/11/1948 to 02/12/1948” for which they quoted $94.
One thing, how do we know the dead man was responsible for the ‘code’ ?
That was very old book, possibly passed through many hands.
Petebowes, I think the book was printed in 1942
When you look at the book and on the assumpion that the image of the book with the torn page in Advertiser was the actual one, the outside was well worn and tattered, the inside however looks almost new. Food for thought.
Pete, if the book was given to him by Jestyn, maybe the message was from her to him? A secret code between them?
KBNZ: Why would she have given the book to SM?
There was no inscription.
The code is more likely to be a red herring than a message between lovers or a spy code.
The number in the book led to a house occupied by two people and amazingly the focus has only ever been on one of the occupants despite the other being far more likely to have involvement in a murder.
I was advised by a mutual friend of hours that not only did she give SM the book, it was he who introduced it to her. She bought him an old edition as a parting gift.
Yeah right
Maybe not an inscription but her phone number was on it, so she possibly had it at one stage.
I note that there are a total of nineteen risers (the technical term) in the set of steps leading from the beach to the foot path beside the Esplanade. I think it is reasonable to assume that these risers have a vertical spacing of seven inches because people were careful about such things in 1948; six inches is, and was, the common spacing. The practical height for steps was worked out long before Roman Times.
So, nineteen risers at six inches per riser gives 114 inches = 2.90 meters
This figure is concordant with the rough figure of 3 metres vertical distance between the present footpath and the base of the present sea wall obtained from Google Earth.
This assumes that the photograph of the death site given in Wikipedia was taken soon after 1st November 1948, and is an accurate record of the location at the time of SM’s death.
The Spring tide at 4.34 am on 1st December 1948 was 9.0 feet, but I haven’t been able to find out how this relates to mean sea level. I assume that the tide on Somerton Beach would not differ significantly from the official tide gauge site (at Port Adelaide Outer Harbour) that was presumably used for the newspaper tide data.
I note that the base of the present sea wall is about 3 metres above mean sea level (judging from the Google Earth figures) and the foot path along the Esplanade is about 6 meters above mean sea level.
The wind (moderate) was from the south west. Moderate wind = 13 to 18 mph.
Sea slight to moderate. Slight = 0.5 to 1.25 meters wave height. Moderate = 1.25 to 2.5 meters wave height (Douglas Sea Scale).
So, it very much depends upon how the tide heights relate to mean sea level. But it looks like the waves came close to SM’s body. With a moderate wind from the south-west I would have expected that his body would have been quite wet from spray from the south westerly wind when it was discovered at 6.30 am.
Some people are really obsessed with this case aren’t they? Some of the information that is coming forward is completely boring and has no use whatsoever. Does anyone know the size of the Somerton Man’s Penis?.. Big, Small, Thick? We know that it was uncut. Perhaps Pete Bowes would have the answer. Everyone seems to know everything about him (well they fantasise and presume)
Hi Nick,
Just a thought: If you can find out the time/date that the beach scenes (of where the body was found) were shot for that 60mins episode and find out what the tide was at that time, you can get an idea of how close the 9ft tide was to the sea wall…maybe? Although, I don’t know if the sea wall has been changed over the years. Has it?
inquired about relating the high tide at 4.34 am on 1st December 1948 to a present day datum and received the following courteous reply from Greg Pearce, Hydrographic Surveyor, Tides, HydroSurvey Australia.
Hi Byron
The tide predictions refer to the Inner Harbor tide gauge. Records from there date back to 1880, and in 1948 it was still the Inner Harbor tide predictions that all South Australian Ports were related to. Heights referred to Chart Datum which was Indian Spring Low Water (ISLW) and equated to -1.72m AHD. CD was raised to Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT) on 1/1/2001 and that equates to -1.45m AHD.
I hope this is useful for you.
Cheers
Greg
Kimberlee, in answer to your question, yes, the sea wall has been added too, but only by a meter or so of additional facing rock.
The dog that did bark, but nobody was listening.
Paul Lawson is quoted in the notes made for the 1978 TV show concerning SM that Prof. J.B. Clelland was displeased that Lawson had not been able to obtain a sample of SM’s brain tissue for him.
This is very telling because there were only two reasons why Clelland would want SM’s brain tissue. In 1948 the only diseases that could be detected in brain tissue were neurosyphilis and multiple sclerosis. The same is true today, except that some rare neurological diseases can now be added to those two. There was no chance that digitalis or strophantin poisoning could be detected in the brain tissue; or any other type of poison, even lead, at the time (1948).
Clelland could have asked for brain tissue samples at any time. Why wait until a day or two before SM was buried, in a decomposing state? The only logical explanation is that SM had been tentatively identified and was known to suffer from neurosyphilis. Clelland would quite naturally think to strengthen the identification by confirming that the brain tissue samples from SM did in fact show neurosyphilis.
That brings us to the location where SM’s body was found. Opposite the Somerton Crippled Children’s Home. In the early stages of syphilis babies can be conceived but are often born with various deformities and ill health. Possible inmates of a crippled children’s home. As the disease progresses live births become rarer, and any babies born alive often die. As the disease settles down after ten years or so, more or less healthy babies can be born. But some of these babies have a shortened life span.
I note that SM’s pupils, small and uneven in outline, could be down to syphilis.
I am not a venereologist, or even a medical practitioner, but I was a medical scientist and I did talk to a venereologist with whom I worked about the historical aspects of syphilis. The above is what I can remember from what he told me thirty years ago. I have a life long interest in the interaction between disease and medicine, and history. I think that disease has shaped history to a much greater extent than is recognised. Yes, I have read Mr Diamond, but many of his “facts” are industrial strength BS and his book is a straight out political document.
To sum up, it seems that the authorities had tentatively identified SM a few days before he was buried (14th June 1949). This could explain the decision to take a cast from the body.
I would ask that you carefully consider any comments you make concerning the above.
BD, you are truly fascinating and thankyou for enlightening me as to these possibilities.
I highly doubt Robin Thomson was crippled given his later career as a ballet dancer, although is it not impossible that he had some sort of early deformity and required nursing care…. with a mother living just streets away out of a duty care and sense of convenience?
Had someone at the Crippled Children’s Home alerted Police to the presence of the man at the Home on the day he died? But then, wouldn’t that have happened immediately on discovery of his body?
Or, did Jessica work at the home, being a nurse? Did the Somerton Man go in unnoticed? Was Jessica at the Home when Somerton went calling to her flat?
And then, why didn’t Jessica have syphilis?
Helmut Hendon was the boyfriend of the woman who was murdered in connexion with the Saul Haim Marshall inquest. In 1964 he was convicted of smuggling gold into Australia. The girl’s mother described him as ‘evil’. Born in Germany, 1909. The ringleader of a smuggling ring in which Marshall, Jessica, Somerton et al were co-conspirators?
Cel,
I wasn’t implying that Robin was in the crippled children’s home. But an earlier child to SM could have been there. After a while a syphilitic becomes non-infectious. Also, people respond differently to the disease. In some it is a brief, barely noted event. In others it progresses to neurosyphilis and very nasty symptoms. Before the advent of penicillin it was a very common disease. Something like 10% of the population in Great Britain. And said to reach about 50% in some parts of the USA. So much for the good old days. Caucasians are known to be relatively resistant, and don’t often exhibit very obvious signs, and don’t often progress to neurosyphilis. In American blacks, on the other hand, the disease often progresses to neurosyphilis.
Many figures in history have been syphilitics; Lenin, Abraham Lincoln, Doctor Evatt etc. Politicians seem to be over represented.
People with congenital syphilis often do not have obvious symptoms, and many athletes etc in the past have probably been congenital syphilitics. Congenital syphilis can shorten life. I know somebody with congenital syphilis, with some deformities in the bones of his ankles, and yet he was successful in a sport where the ankle joints are important.
I note that Robin died relatively young (aged about 61 from memory).
I don’t get invited to X’mas or New Years Eve parties – and no bloody wonder.
Regarding Helmuth Hendon, I noted that he was a regular at Pakie’s restaurant, a well know meeting place for socialists and the like in the 1930s and 40s. As for smuggling gold into Australia, that is really weird because private gold ownership was essentially forbidden at the time. I know because I was a small gold miner and also manufacturing jewellery at the time. Any gold smuggling would surely have been going out of Australia? This aspect is worth investigating.
A live wire agent who dies of neurosyphilis while on a brief personal detour to Adelaide is probably highly likely to remain (deliberately) unidentified by the security services if that is indeed the case. A certain amount of press attention would be inevitable and lead to an inquest but I suppose there are ways of keeping people quiet… and particularly when someone’s identity is not widely known.
I notice Pete Bowes is quite focussed on the notion of gold…
Hi Cel,
I doubt if neurosyphilis played a significant direct role in his death. It is possible he suicided and syphilis played a part in this, but I doubt it. Penicillin treatment was readily available at the time. I think I can muster a reasonable case to show that it is likely that SM died from the effects of an accidental overdose of cardiac glycoside drug such as digitalis or strophantin, as suggested by both Clelland and Hicks. I will leave the details for later, as I am upsetting the trolls enough as it is!
The hair analyses suggest that SM may have suffered from lead poisoning, and this is supported by the splenomegaly. As I have previously explained, cardiac glycoside drugs are very dangerous, and deaths certainly did occur in the past in patients taking the prescribed dosage. And some kidney damage from the lead poisoning would have increased the chances of fatal poisoning.
So, it is entirely possible that SMs death was accidental. It is a natural reaction for many people to take a double, or triple, dose of medicine if their symptoms deteriorate. Maybe SM was feeling off colour as a result of accumulation of the digitalis/strophantin in his system (ie a problem of reduced elimination) and he took a second or third tablet?
I note that when SM’s case was recovered from the railway station it was noted that a sticker had been torn off. My feeling is that somebody, probably the Special Branch, had located the case before the general police found it, and the contents were sanitised. I am now convinced that SM had been identified by the time he was buried because of Dwyer’s anxiety to get a brain tissue sample.
Unfortunately, co-operation between the intelligence services and between various police forces was poor in the past. The unmasking of Alfred Hughes in the Venona decrypts, a policeman who moved into military intelligence during WW2, could have made Intelligence wary of telling any local police too much.
My best guess is that SM had been identified, but his “identity” was found to be assumed. Intelligence would still be interested in gathering information on where the assumed identity had been used. Hence the photos and his description in the newspapers, finger prints, and the overseas inquiries.
It is quite possible that SM could have been an American, because relations between the Commonwealth and the USA were at a very low ebb in 1948. In particular, the US had ceased any co-operation in the area of atomic weapons, and the Commonwealth was going it alone. It would have been natural for the US to have people watching developments in South Australia. The CIA certainly had a senior intelligence officer under cover in Melbourne (the local CEO of the Boeing aircraft company, which would have given him some access to military affairs in Australia).
I would imagine that if SM had been a US agent, both Australia and the US would have wanted it covered up.
The gold smuggling is intriguing and I look forward to seeing what Pete can dig up.
Marshall is now saying that he is SM’s grandson as a result of DNA testing. I find this slightly incredible. If imperial authorities had worked out who he was, identity assumed or not, would they have kept it quiet to prevent further discord with the yanks? Perhaps they still have an interest in keeping the file closed. Not long now, I think.
I think that the action of Prof. Clelland in requesting a brain tissue sample at the last minute, is very strong evidence that at least a tentative identification of SM had recently been made. But, if this was the case, then why has this identification never been made public? Surely, in such a situation, the best course of action would be for the authorities to seek information from the public? Also, if SM was an illegal or living under an assumed identity, the authorities are very unlikely to know that he suffered from syphilis? This, to me at least, is good evidence that the authorities (but maybe the local police were kept in the dark?) knew the true identity of SM and had access to his medical records. I note that no small pox vaccination scar was seen at autopsy, and this is strong evidence that SM had never left Australia. ie. that SM was Australian born, or was an illegal.
All WW2 Australian service men serving overseas were vaccinated against small pox, but I don’t know if Australians servicemen who did not serve overseas were vaccinated or not.
This also raises the question as to whether ship’s crew and officers had to be vaccinated against small pox in the 1940s. If it was a mandatory requirement, then this would suggest that SM had never been a mariner.
Refs: Feltus, “The unknown man” page 84 and the notes for the 1978 TV documentary.
“Professor Clelland had requested that a sample of the brain be obtained by Lawson so he commenced to remove some of the stitches that had been placed in the head during the autopsy. In a further conversation Lawson was advised that because of the impending funeral and time constraints not to continue with obtaining specimens, but to complete making the mould.”
“The bust was completed on 15th June when it was inspected by Professor Clelland, Detective Sergeant Leane, and Detectives Brown and Noblet. It was apparent to everyone present that Clelland was very displeased that his request for a sample had not been met.” Note that the funeral had been conducted on the previous day (14th June 1949).
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/09/who-stole-jfk-s-brain.html
“What, in 1966, could medical science learn about a person’s health even if they had in hand his preserved brain? Very, very, very, little. One disease worth concealing from the public can be diagnosed in brain tissue: advanced syphilis.”
news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2010/02/does-your-family-tree-have-gaps-of-unusual-size.html
I wonder, did Jessie ever work at the Crippled Children’s Home? It’s only a short walk from Moseley Street, no bus fares to pay & if Jessie/Prosper were poor it would have nice & handy for Jessie. I suppose the next question is, is this where she met the “SM”? and that’s why his body was left with his back to the seawall and the home? Just a thought!
Yes she did
Celestine – Could you elaborate a bit? If not, why post what you “know” as fact? What’s the game?
The Venona Project was a collaborative effort between American and British intelligence agencies. We now know some of the American venona information. Still missing is what the British did at Eastcote
The C.I.A. did not receive copies of the deciphered venona messages until 1953. So up till then it was the F.B.I. President Truman was mistrustful of J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI, and suspected that the venona reports of Soviet espionage were exaggerated for political purposes.
B D (belatedly) re. Helmuth Hendon: you said that he was a regular at Pakie’s restaurant, a well known meeting place for socialists and the like in the 1930s and 40s.” <– In fact, literary/academic types of all political persuasions also visited Pakie's, including conservatives like Harold Stewart and James McAuley, not to mention others later revealed to be fascist sympathisers, like Miles Franklin. As well, I would think, as undercover agents of the federal/NSW police and/or military intelligence, spying on the goings on.
"As for smuggling gold into Australia, that is really weird because private gold ownership was essentially forbidden at the time. […] Any gold smuggling would surely have been going out of Australia? " <– In the '40s and early '50s it was. But in 1954 — as strange as it now sounds — the Menzies govt introduced a "gold bonus": a subsidy for gold production. Soon afterwards there are newspaper reports of gold being smuggled into Australia, presumably to claim the bonus.
"It is quite possible that SM could have been an American, because relations between the Commonwealth and the USA were at a very low ebb in 1948. In particular, the US had ceased any co-operation in the area of atomic weapons, and the Commonwealth was going it alone. It would have been natural for the US to have people watching developments in South Australia. […] I would imagine that if SM had been a US agent, both Australia and the US would have wanted it covered up." <– Sure, the late '40s were somewhat chaotic geopolitically and allies have always spied on each other. It is also possible that, if SM was a CIA or G-2 agent, who had gone "rogue" in some way.
the New Guinea gold rush resumed after WW2, and with all the Australian servicemen who served up there, including the Small Ships Coy, a few might have got gold fever, and gone back for some, smuggled it back.
… been killed for it.
The records from the Crippled Children’s Home not only indicate that one Jessie Thomson was a registered nurse working at the facility but also the presence of two children with the surname McIntyre and one with Thomson. I can’t get any further details of the parentage of the same due to my source’s unwillingness to expose herself to litigation or dismissal. I don’t think for a moment that the two had a crippled child in the building but I am sure that he went there to wait for her when her shift ended, on the understanding that if she wasn’t at home she was there.
Pete, maybe. The problem then is fitting in the Sydney and Adelaide connections, i.e. logic says that in 1945-1954 any gold mined in New Guinea would likely have been shipped straight from there to Asia, reducing costs and red tape. Maybe SM dudded HHH, who had some radio work in Adelaide at the time…
Celestine – Thanks for sharing. That’s very interesting and certainly sheds an interesting new light on things!
Pete/Furphy – Forgive me if this has already been discussed…HHH electoral rolls show between 1949 and 1958 show him living at Milson’s Point, N. Sydney (100 Kirribilli ave.). He is listed with a Jean Cameron Hendon. Later in the rolls, they list themselves as “director” Castlerag coy. Does this make any sense to you?
Misca, that is interesting. Can I ask you to check if it is “Castlerag” or “Castlecrag”? There was an old silver mine called Castle Rag, near Stannum, north of Sydney. Whereas Castlecrag is an exclusive suburb on the North Shore. It’s possible that Jean Hendon nee Anderson (who shows up in the Pakie’s guest book) came from a moneyed background. Otherwise the Hendons (much like the Thomsons) seem to have done remarkably well in a short period of time. Especially considering that Hellmut’s radio work seems to have been infrequent and his army record gives his occupation as “department manager”.
You need some punctuation in there. It is Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag, Coy. Director. Castlecrag is the suburb and the occupation is Company Director.
Furphy – Debra is correct. It’s Castlecrag, Coy. Director.
From NSW State Records (Archives Investigator) two companies incorporated in NSW:
Hendon Investment Pty. Ltd. 1948-1965
Hendon Jewelcraft Pty. Ltd./ Austral Jewelcraft Pty. Ltd. 1950-1968
Perhaps drawing a long bow, but may be tied in with Hendon’s alleged gold smuggling in 1964?
Furph: I like the thought of a grubbed up digger arriving in Darwin with a really heavy kitbag, no Indian gold dealers for our lad, he knows a bloke in Melbourne who can turn gold into a new home for a young family in Adelaide.
Everywhere you look there’s a scenario
Pete, a very heavy and conspicuous kitbag for one man. But not for someone who used air freight for an import/export business?
SMH (10/10/49; p2):
And if someone was smuggling gold in after the gold bonus was introduced (1954), it seems possible that he was smuggling it outof Australia before that time?
This is a tangent and Im lost in it!
Furph: they were transported in leather pouches, about a kg per each – at the price of gold in Sydney you could do ok with a couple of pounds off the same guy on the Cycle every time he came into town. The guy with red hair. The Cycle went up to Moresby and back every month for a while.
Some stuff you don’t have to make up.
Hi Celestine. So it could be that the “SM’ knocked at Moseley St & the flat, realized that Jessica must be working at the CCH(?) visits her, has a pastie and a drink. Instead of waiting in the CCH he walks across the road, down the steps and onto the beach to await Jessica’s shift to finish. Except that Jessica goes home, and whatever Jessica gave him to drink (sedative?)is now slowly affecting him. After 8.00pm, he is picked up and taken to Moseley St where poison is taken, shortly before 10.00pm he is carried down to and along the beach to his previous position near the steps.
Hi Celestine, My previous e-mail, is pure conjecture, the “SM” could, of course, have decided to end it all on the beach. Wasn’t a syringe supposed to have been found on a bench near the steps??
I think he may genuinely have been dozing on the beach when first observed and waited for the end of her shift before returning to the house with her. Prosper finds out he has a large sum in the bank, both agree he is a nuisance, and they conspire to murder him. He dies in the home, is cleaned up, taken in the pharmacist.’s minx down to the beach, and dumped
I don’t see any compelling evidence that SM left (or was abducted) from the beach at some point on the evening of November 30. Why would his assailant/s return him to the beach, instead of a more secluded place? It seems like a high risk strategy for very little gain. Doesn’t it make more sense for SM to have been poisoned before he arrived at the beach and to have died there?
Well one thing is for certain: in November 1948 Jessie Harkness and Prosper McTaggart Thomson were broke. Twelve months later they had enough cash reserves to purchase a house outright and were advertising in the paper to that effect. Why? So that no money had to pass through the bank, of course. Something to hide? Methinks yes.
Both Olive and her boyfriend and, John Lyons and his wife all saw the “SM” against the seawall about 7-8.00pm-the next time anybody saw something unusual was about 10.00pm when a man was being carried along the beach. Nobody else between 8-10.00pm apparently, saw or reported anybody against the seawall, a mite strange? I still think that the resting place of the “SM” i.e. with his back to the CCH is significant-why not leave him in a side street or, to a lonely country lane?
Clive, whatever happened, it might seem remarkable how few people remembered seeing him anywhere? Or maybe not. The average human mind must forget nearly every image that the eyes see on most days.
And I couldn’t tell you how many people, apparently drunk and/or homeless I’ve seen myself, asleep or half-asleep, in public places. I believe that in Australia in 1948 many men given to hard drinking, often to suppress the traumas of the previous four decades. In most cases, I would guess, a man reclining on beach sand would have faded very quickly from the memories of most beach-goers?
Hi Furphy, Point taken, I just wonder how many people walked past that night and saw a overdressed man, for that time of year, lying against the seawall? If only Olive, John Lyons etc could have gone through hypnotic regression and recall further details, especially the man looking down at the body for a full 5 mins, a passing walker? I don’t think so, he was much more interested to see if the body moved or not . Saying that though, I wonder what he would have done if Olive, John Lyons etc actually tried to help the “SM”.
Clive, it’s highly unlikely that any professional criminal/spy actively involved in SM’s death would have hung around. Of course, the “watcher” could have been a third party, from a rival organisation.
People who have spent a lot of time in the tropics often seem “overdressed” to the rest of us. So do drunks: alcohol flattens and numbs the body’s perception of temperature.
Ask Marshall, over at the Marshall files, what his DNA has turned up. He now claims to have proof positive that his ancestor was the Somerton Man and accordingly he will also be able to furnish you with a list of probable surnames of his family.
How does one “ask Marshall”? His site has gone private.
How could he have proof positive that SM was his ancestor. At best he could only proove that he was not related to Prosper.
Sorry if this has been mentioned – there’s a lot of comments above which I might/might not have read before….
There seems to be some confusion about the Sunset. I’ve seen 18:41 somewhere (which to me is totally impossible in Adelaide at that time of year).
What I hadn’t taken into account, is that it appears there was no Daylight Saving in Adelaide from 1945 (Oct 1944) to 1949. This means the 19:14 Nick has seems reasonable (2016 had 20:14 with DST, with a “last light” at 20:42 (I think “sunset” is last moment the sun is visible on the horizon, “last light” measures when darkness has more fully descended – one site calls the period between Sunset and Last Light “Civil Twilight” (there’s also a “nautical twilight” and an “astronomical twilight” before it’s actually “Night”, at 21:56). On Dec 1st 2016, Sunrise was at 5:55 (which would be 4:55 without DLS) with “first light” beginning “Civil Twilight” at 5:26 (4:26).
This to me suggests it would have been light enough to see about 30 minutes longer than the sunrise/sunset mentioned.
A lot of people seem to comment about the warmth of the day/evening/night, however by Adelaide standards it would be mild rather than warm (Adelaide’s yearly average minimum is about 12C, and this night (on the cusp of summer) was 18C – above the monthly average of 14C, but not by all that much – and with a sea breeze (“North West to South West”).
The day itself didn’t reach 25C (although Dec 1 was forecast for 35C), so had been below average, and (again) by Adelaide standards quite mild (wouldn’t even switch a fan on, let alone the AirCon).
It sort of puzzles me, then, that SM was thought to be an out of towner because of his “warm clothes” – it’s possible, but it’s also possible that an Adelaidean not yet ready for summer (there had only been 3 days above 30C that November (2016 had 3 above 30C too, but we seem to had unusually mild weather (except for 41 on Christmas Day)).
It also puzzles me when people assert that because of the weather “the foreshore was busy”. At Glenelg, perhaps, at Somerton, not so much. We Adelaideans have strange beach habits – and when it’s less than 25C I’m not sure a trip to the beach is all that likely for many people – especially when there haven’t been many warmer days yet (some wives’ tale about the water being too cold until there’s been 5 days above 30 or 3 above 35 or something), and School Holidays might not have been in full swing yet (although that might have been when there were 3 terms, so the Summer holidays might have been longer). Either way, while Glenelg (and further North Henley and Semaphore) might have been busy, I’m not overly surprised if Somerton wasn’t necessarily (and the lack of witnesses suggests it wasn’t).
Now 3 vaguely related things bother me (just a little – all no doubt explainable, but all just a touch unsatisfactory).
1) Neither Lyon nor the young couple saw SM’s face (I suspect more accurately none of them were prepared to swear it was definitely the same person, but all the reports say they said they “didn’t see” – despite seeing mosquitoes). So it’s a sunny(?) evening and there is still daylight left and from 10-20 ft we don’t see a face? The couple claimed it was blocked from view, but to me parts of their statements suggest they had attempted different vantage points (possibly even descending the steps) – and considering how SM was dressed, you sort of wouldn’t really mention how bothersome the mosquitos (I still think flies) were unless you saw them around exposed areas – ie hands and face.
2) As far as I recall, Lyon went swimming with a friend in the morning. In fact, Lyon mentions “we normally went all three together” – while I understand that his friend(s) didn’t see the man the night before, it seems odd that little other mention is ever made of them.
3) Lyon went swimming in the morning. It’s not uncommon for people to go swimming early in the morning (I remember going fishing on the Grange Jetty in the wee hours, and every morning between 5:30am and 6:30am we’d see some guy swimming – irrespective of the weather – Summer and Winter too). That said, it is far, far, far more common to see people (especially in groups) have morning swims after a hot day/night (eg when the day before was 35C), not on an 18C morning when the day before was a cool 24C. Granted, he (and his friends) may be the exception rather than the rule, but it still seems at least a little unusual to me.
Milongal: Thanks for giving us some more precise details of prevalent weather patterns on the night in question as I’ve always had doubts regarding the true situation pertaining to wind, temperature and prevailing light from around 7PM which one would have thought to be a crucial part of the investigation. One that you didn’t mention specifically was with regard to the tide which as I recall was a 6ft high in the late afternoon followed by a 9ft spring in the early morning which seems to have been a monster. Would that not have reached the Esplinade sea wall and drenched our dead friend had he been in the position where he was found around 6am. By the way it seems that Strep and his girlfriend did descend the stairway at some point where they took up position on a bench seat right opposite the subject with some limited view. As you would be aware I’m way off on the mosquito nonsense and feel that it may have been a line fed to them by the press for readership interest.
JS: I just don’t notice mosquitos at the beach (but I have seen people with large numbers of little flies on them) and think it’s more likely/noticeable – although as you point out it’s a detail that can also be suggestively added by the press.
I’m not sure where I’d get tide information from (I couldn’t obviously find it on BOM which is where I gpot the sunrise/set) and I’d imagine I’d end up looking in the same place as NP did.
I’m familiar with the beach much further North (past Mangnoson even) around Taperoo, which is quite vast and the tide would never reach the street, however I know the beach does get narrow through Henley and parts of Glenelg (narrow enough for a big tide to hide any sand at all), although it widens out again by Jetty Rd Glenelg. I’ve occasionally been swimming somewhere around Somerton/Brighton where the strip of sand at the beach is quite narrow, and a king tide would lap up on the rocks (that have now replaced the seawall). Recent storms (in the last 10 years) have also certainly caused flooded beaches somewhere along there (and even flooded roadway North of Glenelg), however I don’t really know that specific stretch of beach (although hacing a look at googlemaps suggests we likely would have only been 3-4 blocks South, and the width of the beach looks similar).
It’s certainly an interesting thought that the (extra) high tide may have been up to the seawall – I’m guessing you’re suggesting more than it just washed his shoes 😛
As a side to that, on most (Adelaide, at least) beaches you can tell how high the water normally gets by the texture of the sand – very dry sand is fine and soft to walk in (and easy to bury stuff in unnoticed, or lose stuff in) – the stuff sand dunes are made of, while closer to the shore there’s wet, compressed and firm sand – where any digging would make a noticeable disturbance and anything that fell out of your pockets would lay on the sand (as opposed to fall into the sand). Normally, there’s a fairly solid layer in between that isn’t so wet, but is still quite compacted. Given the narrowness of Somerton Beach, I wouldn’t expect much of the soft stuff if the tide regularly covered the beach – and this seems to be supported (as best I can tell) by the old photo with the stairs and the ‘X’ – certainly makes life interesting if that area was under water at 4:30AM…..
Ok found a presentation on Sand Carting in the Glenelg/Brighton areas:
http slideplayer com/slide/4563259/
Slide 10 is at the Broadway (which is where the beach narrows). It’s about 7 blocks North of Bickford St
Slide 11 (Picture on Right) I can’t quite place, it says Somerton Park, but I suspect South of Bickford
Also, if you use google streetview to travel the esplanade you can sort of get a sense how narrow the beach is (the “current” one is from August last year, and appears to show the beach totally under water – but earlier ones of November 2009/2015 still appear to show some sand.
To me the beach being underwater is plausible, but not sure a Summer high tide will do it – all the pictures I can find of the beach totally flooded appear to be in windy, rainy winter weather…..
or this one:
http://www.weekendnotes.com/somerton-park-beach/
The fifth image (where the beach appears quite broad) I think has been taken close to Eton St. The ramp just right of centre is at College Road (and the white building is the Somerton Park Yacht Club.
SM was found another 3 blocks (not sure whether a “block” has a standard size, I’m just counting number of streets) North of there where you can see the beach gets significantly narrower (as you can too in some of the other pictures).
I *suspect* that the rock pile wall takes up more room than an old sewall would have, so the beach may have had an extra few metres on it back then – but that’s pure speculation (would’ve thought you;d want a bit more room to exercise horses – even in the shallows, but horses were never my thing).
So what if the tide did cover the beach? If the body was already there, the tide clearly didn’t come up high enough to touch the cigarette(s). You would *think* there would be some sort of tide-mark (or salt mark, not sure what you;d call it) left on the body that would have been noticeable as something other than “it’s a bit of the sand he was sitting in”. If it had reached his fob pocket (as I understand it was on the front of the pants, possibly close to the fly), you would think the Tamam Shud fragment would be stuck together, or at least you could tell it had been wet. You would think had the shoes been wet, although some of the sand may have washed off them, they would have lost a lot of shine. You would expect (less than 2 hours after the highest point of the tide, on a night that though warm, could hardly be described as hot) that the clothes would be damp when the body was found (a breeze might help them dry quicker, I suppose – but not underneath the body). I could sort of believe some of that being missed, but all together it suggests either the water did not come up that high that night, or the body wasn’t there before the water subsided (which gives you a pretty tight timescale to get it there before the horsie horsies found it).
It sort of adds to the conundrum – it’s hard to believe the body was there if the water came that high, and hard to believe there was time to get the body there after that time (and I don’t really like the coincidence of the body appearing in the same spot as the person was seen the night before, unless that person was a stooge, in which case there seems a remarkable amount of forward planning that can’t really be explained), so on the balance of evidenceI think we have to assume (unless we can definitively find otherwise) that the water did not reach the spot where the body was found.
Milongal: It would certainly be interesting would it not, if it were to be revealed that SMs presence in its position where found in it’s unswamped state, could not have been possible before turning of the tide just before dawn.
Milongal: It would certainly be interesting would it not, if it were to be revealed that SMs presence in its position where found in it’s unswamped state, could not have been possible before turning of the tide just before dawn. It would certainly give rise for thought as to his prior evening substitute and whom it could have been, though it is noted with interest that the herbalist Nunn lived with his suspect American spouse at 15 Bickford Place right adjacent to the Somerton Beach stairs.
Yes, the tide could certainly be suggestive. It occurred to me after I posted yesterday that there’s not necessarily a body-swap. What if the man on the beach was SM, but was moved later in the evening, and returned that morning (perhaps someone realised he was unwell because of their action (the naturopath/herbalist idea), and took him to lay down, then later panicked when he died and returned the body….or something – hard to come up with a compelling scenario).
I can’t really buy the body not being the man from the night before…..it’s all just too convenient.
John (or was it Milongal?) mentioned that some British Regimental ties slope the opposite way to “heart to sword”. I had a look and can confirm this, and some of these ties contain red white and blue stripes. So, SM’s tie (the red white and blue striped one) may very well be a Royal Regimental tie. It seems from my preliminary search that only Royal Regiments had “sword to heart” sloping ties. How many regiments are “Royal Regiments”? I dunno but I will see if I can find.
The general Royal Air Force tie has red. white and blue stripes sloping Americal style. On the balance of probabilities, given the large number of ex-RAF men after WW2 it would seem that SM’s tie is probably a “RAF” tie.
Byron: the RAF tie is quite close, certainly. However, its colour sequence is red / thin white / blue, whereas the Somerton Man’s is red / thin white / blue / thin white, is it not?
Nick,
Yes., red/thin white/blue/thin white.
Does Gratian Yatsevitch and “The Persian Sphinx” mean anything to anyone? CIA guy…
I’m not sure about this by any means, however I believe that some older style RAF or RAAF association ties may well have had the same red/white/blue/ white alternate coloration as per SM. In more recent times three sets of small intricate white eagle wings were installed beneath the broader blue one, which small manufacturors may have simply substituted for another narrow white stripe. This being the case, then we could reasonably suggest, that our fellow may have been an airman during the recent hostilities. Of course we are now aware that an RAAF Battle of Britain hero and well regarded, highly decorated senior flying officer seems to have self destructed on the beach nearby, some five years earlier. NB: Local officers Moss and Strangway were attending at both deaths.
I’m just now looking at a press conference where President Trump, wearing his black/white tie is telling people willing to listen, that his meeting with Un is now officially Un-done! On his left you’ll notice that his VP Whatshisface appears to be wearing an SM Tootal tie, stripes correctly slanted and all. He’s obviously a big fan of Ciphermysteries.
John Sanders: surely even you recognize the official International Jewish Conspiracy / Bilderberg tie pattern, or have you been living under a rock? 🙂
Nick: It never dawned on me that Whatshisface was a Hebrew name. I’ll make a point of checking more thoroughly in future…Hope their not on to me and my support for an open ended multi-denominational system of government with Bethlehem as Capital.
Gordon: I guess this is the HHH connected thread source that most old CM followers would be familiar with, but alas not a trace of his mate Wolfgang over here. Refreshing my memory from Hellmut’s file, I picked up on a 1970’s address for him of 812A George St Haymarket, which at that time was known to be occupied by a new vogue Christian revival mob, an Aboriginal service and a whore house. Being a three storied premises, one can only guess which business occupied what level and which of the three services was best attended. I also noticed that Hellmut the gold miner was stationed at Bathurst, NSW which just happened to once be the centre of gold production in Oz, though a little before his time (there’s an old saying comes to mind). So it’s no wonder he was often found wandering about in strange forbidden zones away from camp, and then rushing back to Sydney for quack alternate medical therapy. I can’t get anything else on the men’s known post war ABC radio involvement , nor anything on their women. Jean Cameron, who was a Jock by birth may have been a nee Anderson according to ‘thedude’ sans ‘747’s post above. She was certainly a jetabout lady in the old Constellation and 707 days, Mexico, Zurich, Nandi London, Hongkong, SF Cisco, and Manilla being the ones that come to mind.
Gordon: It seems that you’ve gotten most of the filth on Hellmut from Rowen’s paper published last year, which I came across by chance. By the way he talks of our man being involved with the ABC in the forties, though it seems Wolfgang was known to them as a broadcaster much later. Whereas Annette Wagner, ‘Hitler’s lost spy’ from Major Cohen’s Newcastle, did her stint for Nazi Germany pre war. Very intuitive Mr. Holmes, the recluseful part time SM sleuth also referred to Pakkies and it’s namesake owner have been run down by a military vehicle in Sydney in May 1945, succumbing to her injuries thereaby… I wonder was our erstwhile informant aware of a similar somewhat suspicious occurrence which took the life of the great, internationally acclaimed entrepeneur Frank Neil on Xmas Eve 1940. Neil who owned the Tivoli circuit stage entertainment circuit, was as Pakie Augusta MacDougall, well connected with J.C. Williamson’s Ballets Russes and supporters of the ballet such as ex Spy Chief and Sydhey business guru Bertie Kelly, as well as the top law firm Allens. Poor fellow stepped off the gutter in Sturt Street Sth. Melbourne on Newyears eve 1940 and was run down by a very much wayward army truck. Although foulplay was initially suspected, the soldier driver was exhonorated at an inquest days later. Sounds strangely connectable, but what can it all possibly have to do with our SM I wonder…Peteb might make it fit if we include Bertie’s Koala Park guest Otis Pierce and his pommy dancer lover Tony Dolan!…..
Nick: I’ll stand half corrected, Frank Neil got hit on New years Eve ’40.
I find the Major Jestyn angle vaguely interesting. I can see some similarity in the writing, and could almost dismiss some of the differences as being down to very different pen types – but it’s a bit difficult (without getting more conspiratorial than I’d like) to the work both Jess and Boxall into the story (short of Maj gave it to Jess who on-gifted it to Boxall).
Drifiting slightly…
The more I read the transcript from Littlemore’s doco (including the out-takes), the more I think Lawson was strongly implying that the “well developed calf muscles” were something a little ‘out there’….consider this exchange:
LITTLEMORE: You’ve observed he was well built – what sort of factors do you think contributed to that? I mean, you’re a close observer, obvisouly. Would you say he’d worked in a particular trade, or that had given this development, or was a boxer, or sportsman?
LASWON: I think the calf muscles probably would be the best developed muscles. We’re now not talking about bone, we’re talkling about muscles. I think the calf muscle would probably be the best developed muscle on the body and yet it wasn’t the type you’d expect from, uhm, a bike rider. It was a well rounded muscle. I would think that he had been active on his feet, but in what capacity, I couldn’t say.
LITTLEMORE: What sort of thing do you mean, active on his feet> A Footballer, or something like that?
LAWSON: No. I don’t think any footballer’d survive without scars somewhere. I think that, uhm, you could say more of a dancing type or um _more_ _protected_ _type_ _of_ _activity_
LITTLEMORE: Gymnastics, or something of that kind?
LAWSON: Well, could be, yes, but, er, very well developed calf muscles
LITTLEMORE: in 1948, were there any sorts of sport to the kin you’re thinking about that were more popular than they are now? I know people rode bikes more, much more, didn’t they, after the war?
LAWSON: Yes, we certainly did. (Laughs) er, that….
LITTLEMORE: That wouldn’t have done it?
LAWSON: No. I don’t think…I don’t think it was a bike that developed these muscles, but then I don’t know. Err, and as for your question – sports in those days, it’s still a long time ago – I don’t know the answer to that one.
Maybe I’m over-thinking his use of the word ‘protected’, but that coupled with his vagueness has me thinking he’s implying a dancer (or similar) – I take the point everything he describes might simply point to Ballet – which has been covered by many others – but for some reason when I read that excerpt I immeditely thought of theories others have made in the past about cross-dressing, wearing heels and extrapolating that into all sorts of places.
For some reason, today it all seems nonsensical, but when I read it the other day it seemed quite clear…
There was a thought I had sort of related to the above and the current Jestyn speculations which I won’t outline hear (because I think people would be outraged I even considered it) – but ultimately the problem (as per my original paragraph) with Major Jestyn being involved is that it makes it hard to explain Jo Thomsons role in it – especially when her story is relatively consistent with Alf’s at least on how the book came to be….
Always being prepared to admit unforced errors, just check back a few posts, to wit that officers Moss and Strangway had attended both recent suspicious Somerton Beach deaths. Actually it had been Constable Shipway who was backup to Moss at the apparent suicide of Robert Bungey in 1943…Seeing as we’re on the subject of Moss and seeing as today marks the 70th aniversary and all, allow me to reveal how the deal went down on day one, more or less. Forget about what you’ve read in the fake news press, the later inquest, or in certain later doubtful narratives…On the evening around about 7pm which is close enough, John and Helen Lyons had stopped along the beach to view the body as is well reported, but they were certainly not alone in their interests, which was never brought to light. After making some speculative comments re health and welfare of the subject of interest. John was heard to announce to his audience, “I shall report this to the Police”, which he did by phone a few minutes later, upon arrival home. It was most likely Constable Moss who responded, and who dutifully attended the scene around 7.45pm, where he was spotted looking upon the body from above by alert young Olive Neill. The options were wait and watch and be late home for supper, or else report to town and request a radio patrol unit check on the situation periodically. either way the fellow appeared not to have offended social decency norms, commission of which should require him to force his hand. He opted for the second, partly because Edith had warned him not to get too involved in affairs that might better be dealt with by a higher authority, and be home for ‘Burtons of Banner Street’ at 8 sharp. Upon arrive home, we can’t be sure whether he did as he intended, or else got sidetracked with his radio show….Next morning when John Lyons called back to tell him the bloke from the night before was still there and dead as a maggot, Constsble Moss must then have called town to report and was possibly informed that the Radio Mobile unit, had checked twice the previous shift before 2am and had not logged seeing any human activity by Alvington House. That or else he was pissing blue lights for his careless remiss in failing to report the previous evening as intended. At the same time he would have been duty bound, to keep certain things to himself while seeking a plausable escape route for deemed negligent inaction on his part. It seems likely that he attended post haste and made a number of minor improvements with regard to a more relaxed position for the dearly departed. He also may have providing SM with a last partly smoked durry, whilst awaiting arrival of his mate in the grey suit The expert would be more knowledeable on the usual crime scene re-adjustment potential than a mere station chief. So that’s the real deal as I see it from the point of view that dead men, especially our SM should be made to tell no tales, as was and asis still the case, especially with a top old style thinking man’s detective like Harry Strangway as your backup. So what if our lax constable got himself a demotion and a shitty reassignment to Henley Beach for his possible ineptitude. It could have been much worse if a far from impressed witness in the form of Jeweller Lyons had ratted to the Coronor about a certain occurrence which he chose not to pursue in the interests of self preservation.
The examination of SM’s body by Paul Lawson revealed two uncommon, even rare, features. First, SM’s hand were soft and smooth. Paul was an amateur wrestler a so he would have the experience required to recognise that SM’s skin was abnormally smooth and soft. Paul would have grappled with enough normal skin in his wrestling days. Second, SM’s calf muscles were both raised and enlarged. I have previously mentioned that these features can occur with connective tissue disease (CTD), particularly Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It is unfortunate (for those with EDS of course, but incidentally also for us Taman Shuders) that the ins and outs of connective tissue diseases are still being thrashed out. Because connective tissues are a major component (35%) of our bodies the symptoms associated with CTD can be very diverse. There are many connective tissue syndromes known at present and my research suggests that this might increase ten fold as the “100,000 genomes” projects in Britain and Australia bear fruit. I suspect/hope more countries will launch their own “100,000 genomes” projects in the near future. In med speak connective tissue diseases are “protean diseases”, which means they display great diversity or variety (indeed a constellation) of symptoms. Protean refers to Proteus, the mythological master of disguise. OK, that’s the classical studies input for the day.
We know from the post mortem findings that SM had the following noteworthy signs additional to those noted by Paul Lawson:
an enlarged spleen containing a strange pigment. Some ADS syndromes can cause calcification of a wide range of body tissues; almost any organ can be calcified. Maybe the pigment was calcified material (it’s rare so that might be why it was not identified)
some peculiarity with the liver tissue, the liver lobules (calcification? As above)
hypodontia. EDS is known to be associated with ectodermal dysplasias.
paralysis of the heart muscles with an otherwise apparently normal heart. EDS can cause a “right bundle branch block with a high risk for sudden death with a normal heart” says the literature
relatively tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. This body type is relatively common with some variants of EDS.
pronounced gastric bleeding (known to be associated with some EDS variants)
abnormal pupils of his eyes – smaller than normal and with an uneven edge (iris coloboma?). Known to occur with some variants of connective tissue disease.
large hands but normal sized feet (Known to occur with some variants of connective tissue disease)
There are some additional possible unusual features that we can infer about SM
he was over dressed for the day (Raynaud’s syndrome?). Raynaud’s syndrome often occurs with EDS.
he wore jockey shorts and these were not commonly worn in Australia at the time (a large scrotum/testicles needing good support can be associated with connective tissue disease).
He seems to be very clean shaven for somebody who died in the late evening. A scanty beard can be a symptom of connective tissue disease.
OK, so how might this illuminate anything associated with the SM case? Well, firstly, EDS is rare with an incidence of about one in 5 to 10,000. We now know that SM’s mitochondrial haplogroup is H4a1a1a but unfortunately there isn’t much relevant mtDNA available at present and we will have to wait for more data. It is possible that SM’s mtDNA carries additional mutations over and above those that required by the H4A1A1A haplogroup. It is possible, even likely, that these additional mutations (variants) could narrow down SM’s maternal ancestral line to a small family group. In my own case my mtDNA (H1ag1) is uncommon but my additional mtDNA variants are sufficient to make my mtDNA unique to my immediate family and known maternal line forbears at present. The bottom line is that SM’s mtDNA mutations (over and above those required to place him in the H4a1a1a sub-clade) will probably be specific enough to identify SM’s maternal line when enough mtDNA data becomes available. We would have to be lucky at present but mtDNA data is becoming rapidly more available, so, fingers crossed, a total match might emerge in the next couple of years.
When we have a match then it will be possible to see if any of the families have a history of EDS or other connective tissue disease.
SM’s mtDNA haplogroup, H4, is very common in Iceland (9% prevalence) and occurs all over Europe so it is not particularly useful in nailing down SM’s place of origin. However, maybe there are some additional clues. I think that SM’s face is remarkably hairless and Paul Lawson commented that SM had sparse body hair. I think the most likely explanation is that SM was one of those uncommon western European men who have negligible facial hair. I note that 30% of males with EDS have hypogonadism and this can eventually render them more or less beardless. EDS can also be associated with hypothyroidism which can cause hair loss (and beard loss?). A possible double whammy.
It has previously been suggested that connective tissue disease would preclude ballet but I have recently discovered that this is not the case.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3512326/
“Interpretation of generalised JHM (joint hypermobility) is not always straightforward and needs a holistic perspective. In fact, JHM is often experienced as an asset for some occupational and sport activities, such as ballet, gymnastics, and playing instruments. At the same time, generalised JHM is the physical marker of various HCTDs. Distinguishing between benign, asymptomatic JHM and an HCTD is of utmost importance for preventing potential life-threatening complications and/or early detecting and managing long-term disability.”
SM: Try to have a nice day in limbo anyway old man!
SM: Neil Day the teenaged strapper recalls that your face was looking straight up looking at the sky (Heavens?) and that you were lying on your back. Almost all of the early accounts of your passing maintain that you were upright with back against the seawall. Who’s telling the truth mate?
Byron: I’m not sure how a bactetial infection and resultant death through septis could have been overlooked during autopsy though I guess things happen. It came to mind with a septis death (insect bite), details obtained from notes of the 1943 Bungey suicide on the same stretch of beach. I had also been reading up on the David ‘Djiri’ Thomson, Xavier Herbert relations with the well known Aboriginal activist McInnis family. It seems that some of the celebrated ‘bone pointing’ deaths, involved scratching the skin with an infected six inch needle (Ina Harvey) resulting in quick fatal sepsitis. Old Joe McInnis (Waterside Workers Union) who served in Medical Corps in Borneo related to his old mine partner Xavier about how a Tribe close to his mother Lucy, from Finnis River, were nearly wiped out through accidental poisoning with ‘herbicide’ in the damper dough in place of bi carb. Talking about our fellow’s unusually high raised calf muscles, big canaster bags and lightly haired body, if it weren’t for the fair skin, we could well be talking typical Aboriginal traits; noting also that our man was tanned from the groin down. I’m not into genetics per se, but I guess SM could have been an halfcast Aboriginal, who was ‘pointed’ and then succumbed to either pschosematic suggetion, Sepsis infection or even bits of both…Appreciate your interesting well constructed input as always, and have a productive safe Somerton Man anniversary day.
@JS: No offence, but while I’ll happily ignore other amateurs, dismissing inquests and police records in favour of a made up theory seems a tad odd…
Also, pretty sure Moss wasn’t on duty the previous evening (at least if I believe the narratives you told me to ignore)
milongal: Sometimes you can’t get the answers you need from the sources that should otherwise be expected to provide them, such as the courts of enquiry and those who serve them. That’s when you need to step out of the box and try to make sense of the puzzling issues by more lateral methodology. I don’t make up stories with any intention to impress or to theorise on unlikely scenarios; instead I look for any other alternatives and try to have them discussed rationally for the sake of objectivity…In those days i’m almost sure that Moss was likely to have run a one man country type station and that was quite likely to have been his home. Whilst normal working days may have been office hours, say 8am to 5pm weekdays, he would have been on call when needed hence is unannounced attendence and assessment pending whatever action considered appropriate…No offence taken and if you’re so inclined, you might give some respectful thought to the man whose demise we are endeavouring to resolve by all means available..
Byron ….
Lifted from Ethlers-Danios.com.
“Joint hypermobility, one of the most prevalent symptoms across multiple types of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) can be advantageous in certain sports and activities. And researchers have observed a high prevalence of joint hypermobility among dancers and gymnasts. (Briggs, et al. 2009
However, hypermobility can sometimes come at a cost. From susceptibility to injuries to myriad related health challenges, those living with Ehlers-Danlos or hypermobility spectrum disorders are likely to face considerable challenges as they reach for most elite levels of ballet, gymnastics, and other athletic endeavors where flexibility is seen as a competitive advantage (Briggs, et al. 2009).
Hypermobility is often seen as advantageous for these athletes, literally giving dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, and skaters a “leg up” on their competition. However, the early advantages may quickly become challenges, as serious joint hypermobility may lead to joint instability, frequent dislocations, chronic pain—and a whole host of EDS/HSD symptoms and related conditions. Indeed, recent research demonstrates that hypermobile athletes may become injured more often—and take longer to heal, too often preventing advancement or leading to early retirement (Schmidt, et al. 2017).”
Peteb: So, shall we put your post down as an uncategorised uninformative comment, attributed to Herr Schmidt, which apparently requires no immediate response. Thanks for the unsolicited contribution and be sure to keep us informed on any other negative developments.
It’s a quote, Dusty. You can quote me on it.
I can find records of at least 2 other Constables in the Brighton/Somerton area in 1948 – Kirk and Budgen (as well as plain-clothed constable Rawson, but although he crops up from time to time, he may have worked from HQ), so not so sure it was a one-man shop….
There’s an interesting story that caught my eye in early Nov (from incidents dating back to early Oct) about a guy called Haskard impersonating (or more accurately, perhaps, claiming to be) a special Constable and spying on people from the Sand Dunes at Somerton. I doubt it’s related, but was interesting nonetheless…
I sense that there is some scepticism regarding the usefulness of the connective tissue syndrome hypothesis. I would point out that the hypothesis is potentially useful because connective tissue disease is genetic and is fairly rare. Genetic, and relatively rare, so it can be used to solve genealogical problems. If, for example, partial or complete autosomal DNA is recovered for SM, from hair roots or from exhumed samples, then this will identify SM’s distant relatives. It may even identify not so distant relatives. Speaking from experience of my own case I can say that my autosomal DNA has identified about twenty five thousand living people at present who are genetically significantly related to me. These twenty five thousand are related to me out to eighth cousin level and sometimes a bit further, say ten generations or about 300 years. Only a minority (5%) have significant genealogical trees and not all of these are public. But there are still a heck of a lot of connections to research. An absolute mountain of connections. I have calculated that at the eighth cousin level of connectedness there is enough DNA that is shared with me walking around the earth to reassemble several thousand “me”, which is a horrifying thought. In a sense I am potentially indestructible.
OK, so what about “non paternal events” and the confusing effects these would have on tracing genealogy? Well, the percentage of such events has been demonstrated to be far less than some social commentators have made out. Unless you are talking about nobility or modern socially dysfunctional groups the figure is 1.3% per generation historically in western Europe as demonstrated by DNA studies. Over eight generations this equates to 10% of “non paternal events” for each eighth cousin line. Which means that a genealogy constructed from paper records is 81% (90% x 90%) correct on average for each identified eighth cousin. The sheer number of DNA matches means that errors due to “non paternal events” can be identified. The process has an enormous amount of redundancy within the large number of matches and this will weed out the errors in the paper records.
Prof. Bryan Sykes, who is Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, has demonstrated that for his own Sykes line the rate of “non paternal events” is less than 1% per generation going back to the 1300s. Prof. Sykes tested the Y-DNA of 50 men with the Sykes surname and not known to be related and found that half of these carried to same Y-DNA. Which is to say they were descended from the same male ancestor who lived in a small village in Yorkshire in the 1300s.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jan/14/robinmckie.theobserver
“Chromosomes are shuffled from one generation to another – except for the Y-chromosome which is passed from father to son like a surname. ‘What is remarkable is that both name and Y-chromosome have remained linked for more than 20 generations,’ said Bryan Sykes.
‘It would only take a single act of infidelity to break this link, after all. Yet after 700 years, surname and Y-chromosome remained connected in more than 50 per cent of the men. That indicates an illegitimacy rate of less than 1 per cent a generation.’
Such a figure flies in the face of studies which have claimed that – due to mothers’ infidelities – between 5 percent and 10 percent of people are unrelated to the person they call dad. ‘Our work flatly contradicts those figures, and indicates that family life in Britain has been a lot more stable and trusting than it has been given credit for,’ he said.”
Byron Deveson: for my part, I’d say that your connective tissue syndrome hypothesis is interesting, but only insofar as it offers a possible secondary line of attack if the AG is willing to allow the SM’s DNA to be retrieved. In some ways, I’d be every bit as interested to find out if there were any nice long hairs left, and to use one or more of them to construct a much longer lead exposure timeline etc. 🙂
Nick: Any nice long hairs embedded into Paul‘s wet plaster cast, were just as likely to have come from another former customer of the death prep room, which I think I may have covered in an earlier post. One might well imagine the amount of incidental morturial debris blowing over the place from the old cyclone fan, set up closeby to aid the drying process, nice long unconnected hair included. Paul might be asked for a comment in this context, when Clive is next in contact with him. I know that when the cast base was being formed, the ears had to be done separately and so Paul might recall this. I refer, not to the well discussed cavum/concha sizes, but that disctinct ‘antetior notch’ which in my ‘vast’ anatomical experience, I have not seen the likes of…Byron: Perhaps you might like to comment on this.
Peteb: Who lit his cigarette? To start with, John Lyons, under oath. argued without effect, that the smoke was a cleanskin. However, Coronor Cleland chose to believe the contrary version told by Constable Moss…Let’s put that aside for a mo and suppose we side with the law by supporting the so called ‘judicial notice’ status quo. As far as we know there were only eight possible candidates for the deed, if we dare to include ‘the baitlayer’. The others were, Lyons and his buddy who we might convenienty scratch because they’d just been swimming, weren’t likey to have a light between them; likewise, though with less certainty, the 16 year old jockey boys because of their involvement in earlier equine pursuits. Now we are left with Moss, my own assumed non smoker who, as you personally have argued, did not list matches in his search of SM’s effects. Then there was your man himself who may have wanted a last gasper through the night, but had no matches, which is likewise, your own position. Lasty, the most likely guilty party, would have to be in the in the phys. of Detective Harold Strangway, the old experienced, scenes of crime technician. We know Harry to have been a most dedicated pipe smoker, and it may be that he did the deed as part of his professional expertise in policing up the death scene. In propping our uncomplaining SM against the seawall to accord with assessed evidentiary requisits, it could realistically, only have been Harry who had the means at hand to plant the all butt done bumper, piece de resistance…milongal: Just can’t help myself mate and no offence nor apologies intended.
I’m focused on TS/BS latest impressive four part reach into the heart of the matter concerning possible tidal influence etc,, on the Somerton foreshore vis. ‘X’ marks the spot including new and historical panoramic pics with modern scientific chart overlays, inset for depth and overkill. In days gone by all we could rely upon to obtain our rule of thumb inexpert views on likely tidal interaction with the body, were two mounds of debris spaced equi-distance to where it had earlier been reposing by the seawall. Actually Gordon, guided by his expert tidal analyst, points out similar marine debris mounds in tye very latest part 1V posting which might well have validate my own original layperson’s assessment, whatever that may have been…Something to do with a big Bob Wake ‘show and tell’ excercise for the cousins and a classic seaborn body dump from memory.
At last we have Gordon on side in finally recognising our King/Spring tide ‘monster nine footer’ analogy, of which he once took exception to in describing it as normal daily ebb & flow from memory. Now the leading dedicated Tamam Shud site has announced full credit for yet another first in the shifting whispering sands death scene saga that has remained unchartered territory until now. All ado about body exchanges between dusk and the pre dawn super dooper tide that, according to CGC had received little or no mention on other less authoritive blogs in the past decade. So well plagiarised, all but for the Spring/Neap tide like comparison which, as any old Surfer bum could tell you.. ain’t even close chump!
milongal: latest Bog spot pics are typical of Gordon’s deceptive style, though helpful for an educated master mariner’s critique. What we’re seeing is a light onshore breeze with accompanying swell typical of mid afternoon along of the region, extending it’s shore reach accordingly. We can see that the pic is of a part of a beach where a rock bolster line justs out from an original seawall by a good twenty feet at least, suggesting that a man lieing up against it back in ’48 might well be far enough back to avoid incoming ripple effects actually there was no wind recorded at all at 4..34 am on the day in question, which means our man likely got off with slight dampening, as confirmed by Constable Moss. ….I must say I’m more than a little miffed that you should get Gordon’s chief troll prize over moi, meaning things must’ve changed since your donkey days, when I was the star with my take off on Pooh Bear. Note that the ‘dirty rotten scoundrel’ didn’t see need for his usual ‘smile’ with the latest airing, instead showing mock concern for our personal well being which is nevertheless good for a chuckle or two.
In regards Gordon Cramer’s high tide ground breaking tidal evididence in chapter three of his histerical novel, he might be reminded that milongal and I had been discussing in depth the particular morning spring spring tide and it’s likely effect on the body ie., positioning etc.. That conversation appeared here on SM ‘last 24 hours’ thread and others in first week of ’17 and I recall that the only adamant naysayer as to probabilities of seawall inundation was Author GC himself, on his own site of course, downplaying the 9ft tidal event as nothing of any consequence…PS In his book he plays up the destructive effects of the 1948 storm and to which he attributes all the changes it subsequently made to the Somerton beach topography. He omits mention, due to ignorance no doubt, of near catastropic damage sustained during the subsequent monster storm of May 18th 1953, the big one that required major seawall protective initiatives to be undertaken and which are still present.