An appeal has been launched to help identify the body of a man found in remote woods exactly 45 years ago. They mystery of the ‘Glamorgan Man’ has baffled authorities for nearly five decades.
On December 9, 1979, the skeletal remains of a man were found in Rheola Forest near Resolven in Glamorgan. He is believed to have died between nine and 18 months previously.
It has been thought over the years that he might be a visitor from South Africa. On his body was a Salvation Testament that bore the name D MALAN and a partial address in Randburg, South Africa. Much of the evidence points towards him having been from South Africa, or having had a link to the country.
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Volunteer investigators with Locate International, a charity that looks into cold cases of missing and unidentified people, have been working on the case of Glamorgan Man, as he is known, for the past four years. Join our WhatsApp community here.
Now, 45 years to the day since he was discovered, they are launching a new public appeal for information in Wales and South Africa.
They have described how the man was:
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between 40 and 60 years old
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of stocky build
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likely to have walked with a heavy limp, as his right knee was fused
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between 5ft 8ins to 5ft 10ins (173-178cm) tall
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may have worn dentures as he did not have teeth
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had short mixed light brown hair streaked with grey
The charity believes that someone will have remembered him from his time in south Wales, possibly in 1978. A spokesman said: “That person might have been a taxi driver, someone who worked at a hotel or a bed and breakfast, or a chapel-goer at the time.
He was wearing casual grey trousers with a size 28″ inside leg, size eight shoes, a blue shirt a beige/fawn jumper, chest size 40.
“A number of items found on his person suggest a link to South Africa: A commemorative bookmark for a Christian mission conducted in King William’s Town (now known as Qonce) by ‘Rhodes Varsity Trekkers’ which was held at Easter (April 9 -17) 1960
“There was also a South African Airways timetable of flights from London to Johannesburg, dated 1977. Notes on an airmail envelope planning an internal flight to Durban. The handwriting appears to be the same as that in the Bible. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
“There was also a map of south Wales, which our volunteers have learned was issued by the Welsh Tourist Board, was also found, along with a small amount of Canadian and US dollars and blank headed notepaper from the Heathrow Sheraton hotel.”
An Easter 1960 pamphlet was found on the body -Credit:Locate
There was a flight timetable found on the body
Locate International’s volunteers are exploring a number of possible angles and have been asking if he was a mining consultant. They say the dollars in his possession suggest he was used to travel. They have also been investigating if there are any anti-apartheid movement like because some prominent members lived near Resolven after leaving South Africa.
Another angle they have been investigating is whether he was researching his own family history because there is evidence that several people from the Resolven area emigrated to South Africa.
The spokesman added: “Do you remember someone who was from South Africa, or who spoke of South Africa and who walked with a heavy limp? Did you work in a guest house or hotel and remember a visitor leaving behind some possessions? And what happened to any such possessions? Have you kept a register of guests who visited in 1978?”
They have been exploring the reason why he was carrying a Salvation Testament, and trying to check if he attended chapel while visiting South Wales and the Vale of Neath in particular.
“This is a man who would have stood out to anyone who encountered him at the time,” said Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International’s CEO. “He was a stocky man with a strong limp, who possibly spoke with a South African accent.
“Think back to 1978 and where you were at that time, and who you knew. Who could you ask that might be able to help?
“Even the smallest piece of information you have can make a difference, and help return Glamorgan Man’s identity after all this time.”
If you have any information, contact Locate International by emailing appeals@locate.international, by calling 0300 102 1011 (in the UK) or by visiting here.