GREAT COURAGE
There are a number of things that don't quite gel with the interview of Alf Boxall with Stuart Littlemore in 1977 and the image above is just one of them.
Here's another, how would Alf explain this? Here you can see a microcode written into the fold-over of the cover of the Rubaiyat that also contains the inscription from Verse 70.
If you look carefully down the left-hand side of the book cover, you'll see numerous other examples of code, super small and very cleverly done. Alf knew it was there and that can be proven.
A question is, was this a special-purpose book? Published but not printed by the Australasian Book Publishing Company? How else would the code have been written over the rough pattern on the book cover?ABC TV, INSIDE STORY, THE LITTLEMORE INTERVIEW
The program itself went to air in August 1978, it was the culmination of a great deal of work by ABC staff and Stuart Littlemore. More than 11,500 feet of film was taken but by the time it reached our screens, there were just 1125 feet. Some heavy editing which of course did and probably still does happen but in a different manner with today's technology. the question is, what was cut out?The image at the top of the page is a clipping from the NAA file, it is part of the transcript of what was actually said in the Boxall interview before the editing took place.
'GREAT COURAGE, TREMENDOUS COURAGE'
Quite a statement when you think about it, here's Alf an Army Lieutenant who has already stated that he was in Intelligence, met this young girl just twice, once in August 1944 and then again 12 months later when she gave him a book, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, with an inscription. It had been handwritten into the book by the nurse who he states was known as Jestyn, at least that is how the inscription was signed off. How could he have arrived at that conclusion with no more than 2, very brief, meetings that have taken place? The notes 'stumble' over a few words of explanation when the comment was worth more than that.
In another part of the unedited transcript, Alf refers to not having bothered to have bought a copy of the 'paper book'. What's interesting about that statement is that no one had mentioned what kind of book the Somerton Man copy of the ROK was as far as I can ascertain. How would Alf have known that?
THE VERSE 70 INSCRIPTION PAGE
The image above is taken from the Youtube video copy of the ABC programme. There are two immediate differences that you should be able to see, here's the comparison image for you to assess:
The image above, taken some years after the Littlemore interview, clearly shows the number '70' to the left of the page and you can also see that in the interview pic, the signed-off name, Jestyn, has been covered up. The dark line that separates the two pages is just visible in the interview image. That dark line we now know to contain microcode.
Here's the video of the Alf Boxall interview, best viewed in full-screen mode:
AND ANOTHER THING (OR THREE) ....
There are a number of other questions that arise from the video and Littlemore's copy of the files, here are just three of them:
1. The second meeting at the Clifton Gardens Hotel took place in August 1945 according to the Adelaide University wiki. Yet in the notes, Mrs. Boxall states that Alf had given her the copy of the book in June 1945.
2. Again in the notes Alf talks about 3 instructors apart from himself being present at the second meeting, he doesn't name them but we assume that one would have been Tom Musgrave. Another may have been a George French. George was stationed with Alf but George wasn't a mechanical engineer of any kind. George was with Signals, he gets a brief mention in the Littlemore notes and you can look him up on NAA, not much there just a two-page summary of service.
3. The Littlemore team deliberately left out Alf's description of Jestyn being 'Courageous', the notes don't even show whether or not he pursued that line. Any investigator would have jumped on that in a trice. Mr. Littlemore was a very experienced and knowledgeable man.
WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE?
Throughout the interview, Alf seemed ill at ease to an extent, with lots of blinking and hesitations except when, in the notes at least, he made the 'Courageous' statement. Interestingly he was confident enough to let Stuart Littlemore handle the book knowing full well what its true contents were.
Some more images to be added here shortly.
LINKS:
Series number: C673
Control symbol: INSIDE STORY PART 1
Item barcode: 7937871
A description of this record can be viewed here.
Title: The Somerton Beach Story [Box 39]
Series number: C673
Control symbol: INSIDE STORY PART 2
Item barcode: 7937872
A description of this record can be viewed here.
Thanks Gordon, noted.
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