The Somerton Man

Introduction

On the morning of December 1, 1948, a body was discovered on Somerton Beach, just south of Adelaide. The man was impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, but all labels had been cut from his clothing. In his pocket was a scrap of paper with the Persian phrase "Tamám Shud"—meaning "It is finished." This discovery launched one of Australia's most profound mysteries, involving cold war espionage, unrequited love, and unbreakable codes.

Historical / Background Context

Post-war Australia was a time of tension. The Cold War was beginning, and security agencies were on high alert for Soviet spies. Adelaide, a quiet city, found itself at the center of an international intrigue. The man's identity remains legally unconfirmed to this day, though recent DNA analysis has provided a strong candidate.

Discovery or Origin

Passersby noticed the man the previous evening, assuming he was sleeping or drunk. The next morning, he was dead. He had an unlit cigarette on his collar and no identification. His pockets contained bus and train tickets, chewing gum, matches, and a comb. Crucially, his shoes were remarkably clean for someone who had supposedly walked on sand.

Evidence and Known Facts

Autopsy results showed the man was in peak physical condition but had an enlarged spleen and liver. The coroner suspected poisoning, specifically by a substance that decomposes rapidly, leaving no trace. A suitcase found at the Adelaide Railway Station, checked in the day before the death, contained clothes with "Keane" written on them, but no person named Keane was missing.

Investigations and Research

The scrap of paper led police to a copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam found in a car near the beach. In the back of the book, faint pencil markings revealed a cipher—five lines of capital letters—and a phone number. The number belonged to a nurse named Jessica Thomson (referred to as "Jestyn"), who lived nearby. She denied knowing the man but appeared visibly shaken when shown a plaster cast of his face.

Theories and Interpretations

The sheer number of oddities led many to believe the man was a spy. The "Tamám Shud" paper, the code, the clean shoes, and the suspected poison all pointed to tradecraft. Others believed it was a suicide by a rejected lover, possibly linked to Jestyn. The code itself—WRGOABABD...—has never been satisfactorily cracked by intelligence agencies or amateur cryptographers.

What Remains Unexplained

Despite decades of analysis, the meaning of the code remains unknown. The reason for his presence in Adelaide, the method of administration of the poison (if any), and the full nature of his relationship with "Jestyn" are still matters of speculation.

Current Status

In 2022, Professor Derek Abbott and genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick used DNA from hair preserved in the man's plaster cast to identify him as Carl "Charles" Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne. However, Adelaide police have not yet officially confirmed this result, and questions remain about why a quiet engineer would end up dead on a beach with a Persian poetry scrap in his pocket.

Sources

• The Unknown Man by G.M. Feltus.
• South Australia Police Historical Society.
• Australian Federal Police - Case File 0219.
• "Solving the Somerton Man Mystery" - University of Adelaide Research.

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