“The symbols could be a complex substitute code or the meaningless response to a disturbed mind.”
“It is not possible to provide a satisfactory answer.”
Australian Army Cryptographer in a letter to the ABC. Oct 1977
Thanks Clive.
| Shabby on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
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| peterbowes on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
| Shabby on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
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| Clive on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
| Shabby on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
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| Guzz Rating on The Somerton Men 1 | |
| Guzz Rating on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… | |
| John Sanders on Carl ‘Charlie’ Webb Is NOT The… |
The Somerton Man
Looks like Scrabble. Travelling light, no Scrabble board or racks, just a bag of tiles in your pocket, some paper and lots of pencils for other players. You only needs a flat surface to play. It would explain the use of capitals, the abundance of A’s and the Q. The X being shifted around to form a word. In the early 60’s my father spoke of combinations of board games, word games, crosswords, battleships and Go (IGO) and “making up your own rules”. The first line announces players in the game. Of course my father could have made it all up, just as others do now. He believed he knew this man’s name, and there’s likely a few other names that have come forward since. I guess we’ll find out soon.
Six people sitting around a table playing Spot the Pattern and they pass copies of the actual code page around so each gets five minutes to examine it before flipping it over.
They all immediately spot the 3M’s … the 4A’s take a lifetime.
You can make it whatever you want Pete. There’s only 2 M’s and 2 W’s in a Scrabble set, and don’t forget the blanks. My father spoke of his players ‘mark’ WM (his parents initials McIntyre / Wright). He’d use a dictionary and encyclopedia to create his puzzles, and he continued playing games with people and Police throughout his life. He’d also told me he was an informant to both State and Federal Police. I doubt he was talking about 1948 (then age 19), but he put it in writing and he was interviewed by Adelaide Major Crime about the I.D. card prior to his death in 2017.
Top line GO…AB (able seaman)…A (age)…B (birth)…D (death). It’s how games of GO are recorded. I’ve played Scrabble often enough, but I’ve never played ‘GO’. My father also spoke about this man being an artist… his friend and mentor, but who knows what’s true. There were many grandiose stories, obsessional venting and fantasies. I was too young to understand any of his ramblings, and I wasn’t alive in 1948. I’m glad Major Crime have stepped in and I hope SM’s identity’s resolved. Sometimes there’s a simpler explanation… that’s all! If there truly is a code to be found, I hope you or someone, works it out eventually.