Clifton Suspension Bridge Man
The body of a man, found almost 27 years ago. A number of books that could say a lot about who he was. A photo that could say even more.
Living Depiction by Hew Morrison©
On Sunday, May 19th 1996, the body of a man was found on the bank of the River Avon in Somerset. He is believed to have fallen from the nearby Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The man was found with a few distinctive items with him:
A cardboard sign with a handwritten message saying ‘Sleeping rough, thank you’
A red penny whistle
A copy of Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’, a satire dating to the early 16th Century – it was missing an outer cover and had the words ‘West Glamorgan County Council’ on the first page
A Holy Bible
A paperback copy of ‘The Greatest Batman Stories’
A Great Britain A-Z map and a Eurohike Adventure guide
Silk Cut cigarettes and a blank Barclays giro slip
He was also carrying another possibly significant clue: a passport
sized photo of himself as a young man, with lighter hair
(pictured right).
Questions you can ask yourself
Had you ever seen him busking in the Bristol area or anywhere else in the UK?
Had you ever seen him in a hostel or shelter?
Did you ever share a cigarette with him?
Did you give him any of these books, or know where he may have picked them up?
Did you encounter anyone reading these books, or the sort of person who might have read them?
Did you live in the Bristol area at this time, or do you have friends or family who did? Could you share this appeal with them?
Have you lost touch with someone who matches his description?