In December 1948 the discovery of a man’s body left many confused. The mystery began at Somerton Park beach in Adelaide, Australia. The body was found lying in the sand with his head resting against the seawall, legs extended and with his feet crossed. Oddly, there was also an unlit cigarette sitting on the right collar of his coat.
Numerous items were found in his pockets including cigarettes, matches, a bus ticket and an unused rail ticket from Adelaide to Henley Beach but what the police didn’t find were any clues that pointed to who the man was. The attempts by Australian police to find the identity of the man were unsuccessful. Police even enlisted the help of the FBI and Scotland Yard but neither had any records of the man’s identity which still remains unknown to this day.
This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
The Death Of The Somerton Man
During the inquest, there were no obvious signs of how the man died. Their first thought was poisoning but there were no traces of any substance found in the man’s body. This meant that police were not only unable to conclude the man’s identity but also his cause of death. Was it a suicide, a murder or something else?
The Somerton Man’s Suitcase
In January 1949 a suitcase linked to the Somerton man was found in the cloakroom of Adelaide Railway station. It had been checked in the day before the body was discovered. Inside was a range of items including clothing that had the labels removed (like the clothing found on the body) and a waxed thread not sold in Australia (the same thread had been used to repair the trousers found on the body). They also found the name “T. Keane” on a tie, “Keane” on a laundry bag and “Kean” on a vest. However, further investigation found that no person by this name was missing.
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám
During the autopsy, a small rolled-up piece of paper was found sewn within the Somerton man’s trouser pocket. On this paper were the printed words “Tamám Shud”. Translated this means “ended” or “finished.” The back of the paper was blank.
These words can be found on the last page of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a book of translated poems from Persian to English. The police made a public appeal to help them locate a copy of the book in which the pages matched the small scrap of paper. The appeal was successful and a man, whose name is unknown, came forward with a copy that he had found in the footwell of an unlocked car. The location is often debated, but the car is said to have been parked on Jetty Road in Glenelg, not far from Somerton beach.
On inspection of the book, police discovered that the page where the words “Tamám Shud” should have been, was missing. Tests confirmed that the note found on the Somerton man had been taken from this specific book. But this wasn’t the only thing they discovered. At the back of the book, there was some strange handwriting.
Many people believe this writing is a code. It shows a series of letters but the second line has been crossed out. Some find this significant as it’s similar to the fourth line and so they believe it’s possible that it represents an error in encryption.
There have been attempts by code experts and amateur enthusiasts to decode the message but all attempts have been unsuccessful.
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.
The Phone Number
The cryptic message was not the only writing found in the back of the book. There was also an unlisted telephone number. The police traced the number to a nurse by the name of Jessica Thomson.
When interviewed by the police Thomson stated that she didn’t know the man and that she had no idea why he would have her phone number. Thomson also told the police that she once owned a copy of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám but had given it to an army lieutenant named Alf Boxall during the war.
At first, police suspected that Boxall could be the Somerton man but he was found alive and living in Sydney in 1949. Boxall still had his copy of The Rubáiyát which had the back page intact with the words “Tamám Shud” remaining. The front page of the book had Thomson’s name and a verse written by her on it. This confirmed that Boxhall’s copy was the one that Thomson had given to him.
How and why the dead man’s copy of the book had Thomson’s phone number remains a mystery. There are theories that Thomson did know the dead man’s identity but she kept it a secret. Jessica Thomson died in 2007.
Here Lies The Unknown Man
Over the years many people have come forward claiming they might know the identity of the Somerton man. Unfortunately, these claims led to no solid proof of his identity and a year after being found, his body was laid to rest at West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide.
This story still intrigues people today as the man’s identity and cause of death are still unknown. The discovery of the paper and book added more puzzling questions than answers. The man’s death has been the subject of examinations and investigations throughout the years but it still remains unsolved and the curious case of the Somerton Man remains a mystery.
