A Fresh Perspective
From The Beginning...
The story of the Somerton Man has been told and retold many times over the years, It is possible that in this process, some of the 'truths' may have been lost or misinterpreted in the retelling.
It's also a fact that there has been a distinct increase in the number of new visitors to this page and is likely that this might be their first exposure to Australia's most enduring cold case. In recognition of that, It seemed like a good idea to retell the story once more but from a different perspective than that generally accepted as the norm, and that perspective brings a more human face to the story. This is how it could have transpired:
It was the early hours of December 1st, 1948 when the mystery of the Somerton Man began its public journey, our story is set against a backdrop of the early morning of the first day of summer at Somerton Park a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
Some hours earlier that day, the peak of the year's highest tide had been and gone, leaving the beach smooth and generally undisturbed apart from the footprints left by local early morning swimmers and the hoof prints of exercising horses near the water's edge.
A local resident, John Lyons had just finished his usual early morning swim at Somerton Beach when he noticed something that caught his attention. Near the steps leading down from the Esplanade, opposite the Crippled Children's Home, a group of Jockeys with their horses had gathered around a man who was slumped against the low sea wall.
Mr. Lyons didn’t immediately panic. He had seen a man the previous evening while walking with his wife. The man had been in almost the same position, leaning against the seawall, and the couple had assumed he was simply resting or sleeping off a heavy day's drinking. But now, something felt different. The man hadn’t appeared to have moved since the previous evening, and the jockeys who had been exercising their horses nearby seemed to be giving him more than a passing glance.
Lyons decided it was time to act. After taking a closer look at the man, he walked briskly to his nearby home and called the Brighton Police Station, where he knew Constable Moss would be on duty. The two men were known to each other in their small community.
The Call to Brighton Police: A Familiar Conversation
At the Brighton Police Office, Constable Moss picked up the phone. “Brighton Police, Constable Moss here,” the constable said.
“Morning, Moss. It’s John Lyons. I’m down at the beach—near the steps by the Crippled Children’s Home. A man is lying up against the seawall, he's in about the same spot I saw him last night. He hasn’t moved since then. I think he might be dead.”
Moss nodded to himself, knowing Lyons wouldn’t exaggerate something like this. “Alright, John. Stay put, I’ll head down there in the ambulance. Anyone else around?”
“A few jockeys were riding their horses nearby—they were the first to see him, I think. I’ll be here waiting for you.” and with that, Mr.Lyons hung up and headed back to the beach.
The Call to Adelaide Control: Preparing for the Unexpected
Not one to waste time, Constable Moss called the Adelaide Police Control to notify them of the situation. “Brighton Station Constable John Moss here. We have a possible deceased male found near the steps at Somerton Beach, opposite the Crippled Children’s Home. No obvious signs of foul play, but he’s been in the same position since last night. I’m heading to the scene in the ambulance. Please send further assistance from Glenelg.”
“Understood, Moss. I'll get on to Glenelg and send someone to assist you. We’ll notify the hospital to expect you. let me know when you're on your way
Arriving at the Scene
Moss arrived at the beach in the police ambulance, greeted by Lyons and the two jockeys who had been exercising their horses. The beach had an unsettling quietness about it.
The man was dressed neatly, lying in a relaxed position against the low seawall at the foot of the steps. Moss crouched down and checked for any signs of life—none. The man’s body was cold and damp to the touch, his face serene as if in sleep.
“I saw him in almost the same spot last night,” Lyons said quietly. “Didn’t think much of it then thought he might have been drunk.”
Moss, taking note of the jockeys’ account of seeing the man earlier that morning, began piecing together a timeline. He felt this wasn’t just a simple case. The man’s death, the highest tide of the year that had come and gone earlier that day, and the man’s unusual position something wasn't jelling as it should but he carried on examining the body and the scene around it. He searched the man's pockets but there was nothing there that would have identified him, he noted the items that he had found and details of the scene
The Second Ambulance and Departure
Just as Moss finished his examination, the second ambulance arrived from Glenelg. The two officers briefly discussed the scene and the event and then together, they carefully lifted the body onto the stretcher, placing it in the back of Moss’s vehicle. Before leaving, Moss took a final glance at the scene—nothing seemed out of place.
Moss radioed Adelaide Control, “Control this is Moss at Somerton Beach, The body's been recovered, now en route to Adelaide Hospital. Should be there by 9.30. or so..”
As he drove away, the scene and the events at Somerton Beach that morning, which at first appeared to be an unremarkable discovery, was about to transform into one of the greatest mysteries in Australian history: the case of the Somerton Man.
From this point on the questions arise and there many of them. Many of the facts of the case can be found in the posts and pages of this blog, I can also recommend the Somerton Man thread on Bigfooty:
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/taman-shud-case-the-somerton-man.983169/page-23#post-63244349
There will shortly be a special page containing this post and more that will walk new followers through the timeline of the case with links to relative posts.
A note on South Australian Ambulance Services: In 1948, SAPolice were the main provider of Ambulance services. Officers were trained by St.Johns in First aid. At the time the ambulance bore the name ‘Civil Ambulance’ as in the photograph at the head of this post. Here’s a link to the SA Ambulance service history site: https://saambulance.sa.gov.au/about-us/history/
Wasn’t there a youngster walking his dog who saw him first? I remember reading it in the press a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteHi Marty, that’s correct, I think his name was Rodger and in the press he said that he was walking his dog around 7 in the morning when he saw the man. That’s a bit of a problem because the body had been discovered around 6.15 am. So whilst there may have been some truth in what he said, it’s possible that he got a bit confused with the sequence of events, he also mentions seeing two police ambulances at the scene as he watched through the window of his home.
ReplyDeleteThe timeline is a bit hard to follow. The inquest docs have Lyons saying he went for a swim at 6.35 am, give him 20 minutes so that would be 6.55 am before he saw the body and the two jockeys so that means that the jockeys got there after 6.35 am.. He went to call the police say another 15 minutes before he got back to the beach to meet Moss so 7.0 to 7.15 when the Police ambulance arrived. that would make the young lad's account about right but he did say that it was before dawn so somethings a bit wonky with that.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of incorrect statements made regarding how many jockeys were at the scene when Lyons arrived after his early morning swim. The answer is that there were just two not four as has been asserted elsewhere. The facts are that Neil Day and his mate had been out exercising the horses and had first seen the body a little earlier earlier that morning and, according to Neil, thinking nothing of someone sleeping on the beach, they rode on for about 2 kilometres down towards Brighton before turning back to take a closer look. That would make the time of the first known sighting at around 6.30 am based on Mr. Lyons statement. That allows 15 minutes or so for Neil and his friend to travel the estimated 4 kilometres towards Brighton and back given that they weren't at full gallop. The bottom line is that there were only ever two jockeys at the scene.
ReplyDeleteThat last comment wouldn't be about a certain commenter from another blog would it?
ReplyDeleteYes, it would, the same person has been discredited time and time again. He adds nothing of value and rarely if ever substantiates his claims, to the extent that I believe that most of his statements are made up on the fly and bear little if any resemblance to the truth. I don't wish to waste any more time on this subject, there are many far more important things to do.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Dr John Barkly Bennett not recognise his own cousin in law?
ReplyDeleteRegistered as a Medical Doctor on 1/9/1947
Dr at Adelaide Hospital Emergency Department who received the corpse of the person found at Somerton Beach on 1/12/1948, now known to be Carl Webb AKA Somerton Man?
Constable John Moss had the body transferred by police ambulance to the Royal Adelaide Hospital on North Terrace. In front of the hospital’s emergency department, Dr John Barkley Bennett briefly examined the body in the ambulance.
Several doctors were involved in the investigation of the cause of death. The first was John Barkley Bennett, a legally qualified medical practitioner (or LQMP), who declared life extinct in the first place. Rigor was established and he thought that death had occurred within eight hours of his examination, at about 2am.
Dr John Barkly Bennett is a cousin of Dorothy Jean Robertson. Carl Webb should've been known to him.