Adelaide in 1948...
....was anything but quiet. Veterans’ groups rallied against communism, the Communist Party built networks through unions and community groups, and British military leaders passed through South Australia as the Woomera weapons range took shape.At the same time, intelligence veterans organised privately under Field Marshal Blamey but with the acknowledged leader being Brigadier General Colin Hall Simpson, The Association, while Canberra laid the groundwork for ASIO after VENONA cable warnings from Britain.
It was in this atmosphere, rumours of codes and clandestine communication methods from British intelligence circulated through Adelaide — techniques later linked to the “code page” in the Somerton Man case. When the unknown man was found dead on Somerton Beach in December 1948, it was against a backdrop of espionage fears, security rivalries, and growing Cold War tension.
A 'timeline is at the base of this post...
The Veterans Mobilise: Gathering of the Clan
Glenelg, May 1948
Adelaide became a hub for anti-communist organisations even before senior military leaders gathered at Glenelg. Among them:
A.S. Blackburn, SA RSL President. Sir Eric Millhouse, Federal RSL President. Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey, head of The Association. Brigadier W.A. Trott, South Australian military figure. Sir Raymond Leane, ex-Commissioner of Police and staunch anti-communist. Father of Detective Sergeant Leane, at one time the Sergeant IC for the Somerton Man case
Why it Mattered
The Returned & Services League (RSL) was not just ceremonial — it had teeth and a large membership. During WW2, it had formed the Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC), which mobilised 8,000 men in SA and 100,000 nationally.
Though disbanded by 1945, the networks endured and supplemented the efforts of The Association.
The Communist Push CPA Growth in SA
The Communist Party of Australia (CPA) was well organised and well funded. By 1948 it had around 800 core members in SA, potentially double that with affiliated/satellite groups.
15,000 members nationally.
Operated clandestine printing presses and safe houses organised by Wally Clayton, code name 'KLOD'
Front/Satellite Organisations
An *Advertiser* list from September 1948 named Communist-controlled groups:
- Eureka Youth League
- New Theatre League
- New Housewives Association
- Women’s Charter Movement
- Consumer’s Protection League
- People’s Housing Committee
- Rosewater and Ottoway Progress Association
Unions infiltrated included ironworkers, seamen, miners, and waterside workers.
Security Gaps
SA Police Intelligence Special Branch disbanded in 1945.
Subversive Section formed in 1947, quickly overwhelmed.
Special Branch recreated in 1949.
Federal agencies (CIS, Military, Naval, Air Force intelligence) were focused elsewhere.
Result: a vacuum filled by The Association
The Association’s Intelligence Work
Blamey’s Role
As the unofficial head of The Association, Blamey coordinated a veterans’ network with tens of thousands of members across Australia.
“On the day immediately following the passing of the [Communist Party] Dissolution Act…Menzies ordered the establishment of a secret organization under military command, identified by the code name “Alien”, which would rally mainly civilian forces to counter the effects of possible industrial actions and demonstrations in protest against the banning legislation.…”
Marx House Report
One Association intelligence report described Communist activities in Adelaide:
“It includes a section equivalent to an Army Pay Roll unit and has a small section including qualified doctors, trained nurses, and medical orderlies who, as part of their Communist tasks, infiltrated hospital staff associations.”
This shows The Association wasn’t just rhetoric. It collected hard intelligence on CPA infiltration — even into hospitals, a critical concern in a state hosting defence projects and veterans’ hospitals.
https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2018/12/somerton-man-v-association.html
Commander Long and the Codes
SOE and MI6 in Australia
Commander Rupert Long, head of Naval Intelligence, was one of MI6 and SOE’s men in Australia. In 1942/43 he received European code manuals, including INK H micro-writing techniques.
British officer, Brigadier Roy Kendal was a close associate of Commander Long and of Blamey. He was head of Secret Intelligence Australia a branch of MI6 and he reported directly to Winston Churchill.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Kendall
INK H matches the technique visible in the Somerton Man code page.
Long’s close ally Captain Eric Nave, a legendary codebreaker, was in Adelaide in 1948 and may have examined the code.
Long’s circle included a Captain Harkness RN (Not thought to be linked to Jessica Harkness/Jestyn).
Intelligence Rivalries
Commander Long clashed with counter-espionage chief Colonel Bob Wake. Colonel Wake wa later to be photographed with a leading Communist party member
Wake kept secret files on Long, which were later stolen in a burglary organised through Long’s contacts. He had actually organised the release of a prisoner, a safe cracksman. for this and other tasks. This Illustrates the cut-throat rivalries inside Australian intelligence.
AWA Radio and X Messages
Although X Crystal radios were mostly used by Australian Coast Watchers during WW2, it is believed Commander Long oversaw the development if these sets for covert operations
Used unusual wavelengths, difficult to intercept. Messages were known as “X messages.”
The Birth of ASIO
December 1948: The Trigger Point
Solicitor-General Sir Kenneth Bailey consulted Justice Geoffrey Reed in Adelaide about creating a new security service.
On 2nd March 1949, Reed became the first Director-General of ASIO
Then Detective Sergeant Ray Whitrod, ex SA Police Special Branch and WWII RAAF veteran, became ASIO's first operative in Adelaide later that same month.
Lt. Col. Robert Frederick Bird Wake became operational head of ASIO, despite earlier criticism from Field Marshall Blamey.
Why It Matters
ASIO’s planning stage began the same month that a man was found dead on Somerton beach. Adelaide police and intelligence services were already transitioning into a new era, raising the question: Were they capable of shaping or even fabricating evidence in sensitive cases and would they do that?
British Visitors To Adelaide in 1948
Military Leaders
Lt-Gen. Sir Kenneth Crawford, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff.
Maj-Gen. S. B. Rawlins, Director of Royal Artillery.
Visited Adelaide 16–18 November 1948, just weeks before Somerton Man’s death.
Civil Aviation Links
Sir Harold Hartley, Chairman of BOAC, toured Adelaide in November 1948. His presence underscored Anglo-Australian collaboration in air routes vital for military logistics and intelligence.
Woomera and Defence
Adelaide as a Cold War Crucible
By late 1948, Adelaide stood at the nexus of Cold War intrigue:
The Association was mobilising and collecting intelligence.
The CPA was infiltrating unions, suburbs, and hospitals.
Commander Long had seeded SOE/MI6 methods in Australia.
ASIO was being born, with South Australians in key roles.
British military and government figures were touring Adelaide as Woomera’s importance grew.
And into this environment came the Somerton Man — his death coinciding with espionage fears, intelligence rivalries, and the rise of Australia’s Cold War security state.
Conclusion
The Somerton Man mystery cannot be divorced from the context of Adelaide in 1948, it was no provincial backwater. It was a battleground with communists infiltrations, veterans mobilising, intelligence services feuding, and British officials cementing defence ties.
Seen through this lens, Somerton Beach was not just the scene of a unusual death — it was the front line of Australia’s entry into the Cold War, the tip of the iceberg.
Timeline: Adelaide & Australia 1948
- February 1948 – Arrival of Roger Hollis and Sir Percy Sillitoe (MI5) in Australia. Purpose: strengthen Anglo–Australian intelligence ties and warn of Soviet infiltration.
- April 6, 1948 – The Advertiser reports rising public concern over communism in South Australia. RSL begins mobilising.
- April 1948 – Arrival of Bayard King, former OSS officer, as U.S. Consul in Adelaide. Strengthens American intelligence presence in South Australia.
- May 1948 – “Gathering of the Clan” at Glenelg. A.S. Blackburn, Sir Eric Millhouse, Sir Thomas Blamey, Brigadier W\.A. Trott, and Sir Raymond Leane meet to plan anti-communist strategy
- June 1948 – Volunteer Defence Corps veterans remain closely tied to RSL and The Association. Estimated 100,000 nationally still networked.
- July 1948 – Tasmanian press echoes SA concerns: strong anti-communist feeling nationally.
- September 1948 – The Advertiser publishes list of communist-controlled organisations in Adelaide. CPA estimated at 800 core members in SA.
- VENONA intercepts record Wally Clayton (“KLOD”) and Alfred Hughes (“BEN”) supplying Soviets with security service details. (Date to be confirmed.
- October 1948 – The Association circulates intelligence reports on Adelaide’s Marx House. Notes CPA infiltration into hospital staff associations by doctors and nurses.
- November 16–18, 1948 – British military visitors in Adelaide. Lt-Gen. Sir Kenneth Crawford (Deputy Chief of Imperial General Staff). Maj-Gen. S. B. Rawlins (Director of Royal Artillery).
- November 1948 – Sir Harold Hartley (Chairman, BOAC) visits Adelaide to coordinate air links with Qantas. Anglo-Australian defence and logistics cooperation reinforced.
- November 1948 - (20th) Air Pageant at Parafield. The copy of the Rubaiyat containing the code page is said to have been found in the chemist's car around the time of this event. The Chemists Brother -in - Law who found the book is said to have been in Naval Intelligence
- December 1, 1948 – Body of man found on Somerton Beach. Case opens amid espionage fears, communist infiltration, and defence build-up.
- December 5, 1948 РBody of Michael Goreloff discovered in Sydney. Russian ̩migr̩, links to intelligence circles.
- December 14, 1948 – Body of Tibor Kaldor discovered in Adelaide’s Victoria Hotel, Hindley Street. Hungarian-born, connected to refugee and intelligence networks. Ex Internee, Hay Internment Camp
- December 1948 – Solicitor-General Sir Kenneth Bailey consults Justice Geoffrey Reed in Adelaide about creating a new security service. Foundations of ASIO laid.
- December 1948 – Roger Hollis MI5 departs Australia for the UK.
- December 1948 – Bayard King, ex OSS departs Adelaide for the USA.
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