The Somerton Men No's 1, 2 and 3
By Alan Hamill
What happened on Somerton Beach and in Adelaide from 1902 to 1966+?
Why was the Somerton Man in Adelaide?
Take me to the Index Page please!
To backtrack and brush up on what this case is about, go to Wikipedia here
Meet the H. C. Reynolds’s ID Card:-
In 2011, a local Adelaide woman contacted biological anthropologist Maciej Henneberg about an identification card of an H. C. Reynolds that she had found in her father’s possessions. The card, a document issued to foreign seamen during World War I, was given to Henneberg in October 2011 for comparison of the ID photograph to that of the Somerton man. While Henneberg found anatomical similarities in features such as the nose, lips and eyes, he believed they were not as reliable as the close similarity of the ear. The ear shapes shared by both men were a “very good” match, although Henneberg also found what he called a “unique identifier”; a mole on the cheek that was the same shape and in the same position in both photographs. “Together with the similarity of the ear characteristics, this mole, in a forensic case, would allow me to make a rare statement positively identifying the Somerton man.”
The ID card, numbered 58757, was issued in the United States on 28 February 1918 to H. C. Reynolds, giving his nationality as “British” and age as 18.
As Australia was still nominated on official documents as a British Realm, this ID Card was of an Australian Seaman.
Searches conducted by the US National Archives, the UK National Archives and the Australian War Memorial Research Centre have failed to find any records relating to H. C. Reynolds.
Some independent researchers believe the ID card belonged to Horace Charles Reynolds, a Tasmanian man who died in 1953 and therefore could not have been the Somerton man. The ID Card was shown to the family of Horace Charles Reynolds and they recognised it as one they had seen before, however the photograph was definitely not of the Tasmanian Reynolds or anyone known to the family. There was some commentary that the cover may have shown some evidence of lifting off in the area of the photo.
*above passage is taken from Wikipedia as it describes exactly what was required to be explained.
The Somerton Man exercise was to get Carl “Charles” Webb to safety and anonymity, yet make it look like Charlie had been eliminated to the players in the Adelaide area. Apart from modelling for the plaster bust, he was then able to disappear to the UK.
A look-a-like in Alexander Arthur Dowling was available to replace Charlie on the beach as he was becoming a vagrant around the parks and beaches. He was no longer in relationships with his children and his wife, father and mother had all passed. He had had no contact with any of his family for many years. He had served time in gaol for several appearances at court on child abandonment and failure to pay support charges.
On the death of Thomas Spencer Hall Cutlack on the 12th of June 1949, Alexander Arthur Dowling was released from his “Charlie” duties and placed aside in a casket marked Thomas Spencer Hall Cutlack. He would be then cremated at the old West Terrace Crematorium on the 14th of June 1949 and his ashes scattered in the gardens to disappear without a trace.
And where does Malcolm Anstice Rafferty fit into this jigsaw puzzle? We may yet have to switch the boxes but not the players.
Only the West Terrace Crematorium foundations remain today.
Also on or about the 14th of June 1949, TSH Cutlack had his ID inspection done by the “Constable to the Coroner” and his casket was sealed and sent for burial.
He was laid to rest in a paupers style grave on top position with two others and later had the spot marked with the “Unknown Man” headstone (below). The funeral was paid for by the SA Bookmakers Association.
An excavation and funeral were carried out for Alexander Arthur Dowling on the 7th of Dec 1948, but did he attend his own committal? Or who (or what) went into Alex’s grave? A headstone (above) was placed in the AIF section of West Terrace Cemetery as a memorial to Alex.
Tamam!
The Mexican (Adelaide) Standoff!
Definition:- A Mexican standoff is a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory. Any party initiating aggression might trigger their own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extract themselves from the situation without suffering a loss. As a result, all participants need to maintain the strategic tension (status quo), which remains unresolved until some outside event or interparty dialogue makes it possible to resolve it.
The term Mexican standoff was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from the other parties.
A situation in which people on opposite sides threaten each other but neither tries to come to an agreement.
So anyone holding the H C Reynolds ID Card may assume they would be immune from prosecution for any of their past (or future) misdemeanours, as any action against them would initiate a proportional response that may implicate both the original parties.
However, if this base information or knowledge became available from outside the “Mexican Standoff”, the immunity would be negated.
This orange card would then have no value to its holder and any immunity is voided.
Take me to the Index Page please!
To backtrack and brush up on what this case is about, go to Wikipedia here
Tags:- adelaide, alexander, barbour, blood, carl, charlie, code, cutlack, dowling, ect, electro, hamill, jessica, jestyn, kean, keane, khayyam, lipstick, loneranger6, lonerangeraus, omar, pathology, poison, prosper, shud, somerton, spy, tamam, webb
