Porthcothan Beach Man
On 22nd January 1978, the body of a White European man was discovered on Porthcothan Beach in Cornwall, England.
Can you help us to restore his identity?
What we know
Date found: 22nd January 1978
Location found: On Porthcothan Beach near Trevose Head, Padstow, Cornwall, England
Ethnicity: White European
Height: 170 cm / 5 ft 7 ins
Age range: 30-45 years
Build: Well-built, muscular
Clothing:
A light tan 16 inch collar shirt with a white, orange and dark tan pattern
Wrangler jeans
English make underpants
Black, left, English size 9, moulded rubber slip-on shoe with a buckle
An orange sock
Pathology: The man was missing his head, but beyond this he had no other obvious physical injuries or deformities. He was circumcised, which was a typical surgical procedure for boys born in the 1930s and 1940s. He was estimated to have been submerged in the sea for more than three weeks. Although a postmortem examination failed to reveal a cause of death, he was believed to have drowned.
Porthcothan Beach
Police and Coronial enquiries
It was initially believed that the unidentified man may have been one of four crew members from the Danish coaster, Lady Camilla, which sank in a gale west of Trevose Head on Christmas Eve 1977. However, he did not match the descriptions of any of the missing men, nor those from other ships that had sunk in the area at the time. For eighteen weeks following the discovery of the man’s body, the police pursued hundreds of descriptions of missing persons. All enquiries proved negative, and at the closing of the Coroner’s Inquest in June 1978, an open verdict was recorded.
Map showing location of Porthcothan Beach in Cornwall
Memory joggers from the time
-
![Close up photo of a corner of a vintage television with a walnut style casing and wooden wall behinf]()
ITV Southern Television news hijack
On 26th November 1977, ITV Southern Television’s 5pm news broadcast was hijacked and replaced by a voice claiming to represent the ‘Ashtar Galactic Command’. A message was given, instructing humanity to abandon its weapons and live in peace with one another. After five and a half minutes, the broadcast returned to its cheduled programme.
-
![Close up of an electric guitar being played by a man in a leather jacket and black troysers]()
Christmas number one
The double A-side ‘Mull of Kintyre’ / ‘Girls' School’ by the British-American rock band Wings, fronted by Paul McCartney, was the 1977 Christmas number one, spending nine weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart and becoming the first single ever to sell over two million copies nationwide.
-
![Black and white image of a cinema reel and machiney - generic image, no specific film or machine branding]()
Theatrical Release of Star Wars
On 27th December 1977, George Lucas’s legendary space opera ‘Star Wars’ made its highly anticipated debut in UK cinemas, seven months after its US premiere.
-
![View out to a calm sea with blue sky and clouds. Generic image, no specified location.]()
Unexplained explosions
On 5th January 1978, Cornish newspaper The West Briton reported on the sharp increase in unexplained explosions at sea that had been heard throughout recent months across the county’s coastal towns, the most powerful of which had occurred at 2pm on 21st December. Possible explanations for the mysterious bangs and blasts including Concorde’s sonic boom, military gunfire, seismic blasting from oil rigs, freak electrical storms and mine explosions, were all ruled out at the time.
Questions you can ask yourself
We’re confident that after almost 50 years, Porthcothan Beach Man’s identity can be found thanks to just one person with one piece of information.
You may have family, friends or neighbours who might be able to recall meeting or seeing him in the 1970s. If you could share our appeal with them or talk to them about this case, it may jog someone’s memory. The smallest piece of information could solve this case.
Do you remember Porthcothan Beach Man’s body being found? Is there anything else that you could tell us about the discovery?
Did someone you know unexpectedly stop contacting friends or family in late December 1977 or early January 1978? Perhaps you or someone you know made plans to see a male relative or friend at Christmas, but they didn’t show up? Did a male colleague fitting Porthcothan Man’s description fail to return to work after the New Year?
The description of Porthcothan Beach Man’s clothing suggests a casual but considered outfit – something that may have been worn on a night out. Do you recognise the outfit as something that was worn by a friend, colleague or customer at the time?
Could you share this appeal among your family, friends and social networks?
There is always hope, and you could be the person that makes the difference.
No matter how seemingly small the information you have, it really may be the answer we need. Information provided can be submitted anonymously, and submissions will be treated in confidence. Everything we receive will be reviewed by our dedicated team of volunteers. Please do not use this form for emergency assistance in locating a person. Please call 999.