Somerton Man Mystery: Operation Keelhaul...

 Not Everyone Made It Out...

Operation Keelhaul and the Somerton Man: 

A New Lens on an Old Mystery

The aftermath of World War II brought not only peace but also dislocation, secrecy, and moral compromise.

Millions across Europe were displaced, among them, men with wartime knowledge, shifting allegiances, and uncertain futures.

Between January and December 1948, 12 ships carrying refugees or “Displaced Persons” (DPs) arrived in Australian ports.

Towards the end of that time, an unidentified man was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, well-dressed, without identification, and at the center of what would become one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries: the case of the Somerton Man.

Is it possible that the deceased man on the beach did not come from Australia, but his origins were to be found amongst the ranks of the DPs?  Was he one of those men tied up with the Allied Operation known as Keelhaul?

Operation Keelhaul: Repatriation and Betrayal

Operation Keelhaul is regarded as one of the most ethically fraught episodes of the postwar era.

In the late 1940s, the Allied powers—primarily Britain and the United States—coordinated the forced repatriation of Soviet citizens and anti-communist fighters to the USSR. For many, “repatriation” was a euphemism for execution, imprisonment in the Gulag, or forced labor under Stalin’s regime.

While the full scale of the operation remains the subject of debate, survivor accounts suggest that hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, were returned against their will. The operation’s name has become synonymous with betrayal—an uneasy compromise made in the name of postwar diplomacy. In fact, one view has it that many British POWs held in Germany ended up in the Gulags.(The Iron Cage Nigel Cawthorn) Articles are also found on JSTOR{ https://www.jstor.org/stable/48736355?seq=1

Learn more about Operation Keelhaul

The Rimini Exception: 14th Waffen SS Division (Galicians)

Among those spared from forced return were approximately 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician). These men had surrendered to the Western Allies in Austria in 1945 and were transferred to POW camps in Italy—first at Bellaria, then at Rimini.

Though guarded by Italians, the camps were administered by American forces, who oversaw health, provisioning, and clothing. Prisoners received second-hand Allied garments, and some were later issued new clothing before being transferred to the United Kingdom.

More on the Rimini camps

The legal rationale for sparing these men from repatriation hinged on a technicality: Galicia, their homeland, had been part of Poland before the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. But the deeper reason was strategic. British intelligence, particularly MI6, saw value in these men’s anti-Soviet stance, military discipline, and fluency in Eastern European languages.

From POWs to Cold War Assets

In mid-1947, approximately 8,500 of these men were quietly transported from Venice to the United Kingdom. Despite Soviet protests, Britain held firm. Once in the UK, many of these soldiers were vetted and recruited by Western intelligence agencies—including MI6 and, later, ASIO.

Michael Melnyk’s The History of the Galician Division of the Waffen SS: Volume 2 – Stalin’s Nemesis offers a detailed account of this period, including references to the covert recruitment and training of former division members by MI6 for espionage and intelligence operations. It is a valuable resource for understanding how these men transitioned from POWs to Cold War operatives, and how their skills were leveraged in the emerging East–West conflict.

The Australian Connection: 1948

In 1948 alone, twelve DP ships arrived in Australia—ten of them before December 1st. One of these was the SS Derna, which departed Marseilles on August 30 and arrived in Melbourne on November 5. Diane Armstrong’s The Voyage of Their Life recounts the journey of over 500 refugees aboard the Derna, including Germans, Russians, and Ukrainians.

Access passenger lists here  This link provides a list of all Refugee ships arriving in Australia, including the year 1948. By selecting the name of each ship, you will be able to view the passenger lists.

While some nationalities are listed, many names are difficult to trace due to inconsistent records and the sheer volume of arrivals. Still, these manifests offer a starting point for identifying individuals who may have arrived under forged or constructed identities.

Arrival, Processing, and Documentation

Upon arrival, DPs were processed through major reception centers, including:

• Bonegilla, Victoria
• Bathurst, New South Wales

An Adelaide Link

• Elder Park Hostel, Adelaide (notably adjacent to the railway station). This was a 'short stay' facility, DPs could spend a single night or two there, whether they were a single person on their way to a new job or were part of a family. There is no record of Adelaide Police visiting the facility. That does not mean they didn't visit; it means there is no public record of such a visit.

More on Elder Park Hostel

Each DP signed a two-year employment contract and was issued an Alien Registration Card—complete with photograph and personal details. These records, along with immigration photographs, are held by the National Archives of Australia.

What DPs Received on Arrival at Reception Centres

Displaced persons were issued “starter packages” that typically included:

• Second-hand clothing (some new items)
• New shoes or work boots
• Personal grooming items
• A sewing kit

Note: Clothing was rationed in Australia until June 24, 1948. This means that any DP arriving with new garments—such as the new shirt found in the Somerton Man’s suitcase—likely arrived after that date. This narrows the research window to ships arriving between late June and early December 1948.

Why This Matters to the Somerton Man Case

The Somerton Man remains unidentified because traditional investigative methods, including the more recent Carl Webb claim, failed.

His description was as follows:

• A well-built, military-fit physique
• Highly developed calf muscles (suggestive of training or dance)
• No identification, papers, ration cards, or wallet
• Carefully removed clothing labels
• A torn scrap of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam with the words Tamam Shud
• A cipher-like code page found and associated with the man in a related copy of the book

These clues suggest someone with reason to conceal their identity—possibly a covert operative, a former soldier, or someone with a complex wartime past.

If the Somerton Man was:

• A former member of the 14th Division
• Processed through UK camps in 1947–48
• Recruited by MI6 or another agency
• Sent to Australia under a DP cover
• Later compromised or targeted

…then the timeline, physical evidence, and mystery begin to align, alignment of course does not mean proven.

Where the Records Are

Key sources for further research include:

• National Archives of Australia – Refugees Displaced by WWII
• Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations – History
• Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild – Passenger Lists
• The Iron Cage by Nigel Cawthorne (1993), which discusses the fate of Ukrainian POWs and intelligence recruitment
• The History of the Galician Division of the Waffen SS: Volume 2 by Michael Melnyk – a key source on MI6 recruitment and Cold War operations

A Human Story, Not Just a Mystery

This line of inquiry is not about casting suspicion on displaced persons. Most were victims of war, seeking safety and dignity. But the DP system, chaotic, under-resourced, and politically fraught, also offered cover for those with other agendas.

The Somerton Man may have been one such figure. Or he may have been someone else entirely. Nonetheless, it is an avenue that, to my knowledge, has not been explored.