What Happened to the Beaumont Children?
What happened?
At 10:10am on 26th January 1966, the three Beaumont children caught a bus to go to the beach. The bus stop was less than 100 metres from their home. The bus driver, Mr I. D. Monroe, confirmed that he had seen the children get on and off his bus. A passenger also noticed them and was able to recall the colours of the clothes the children were wearing and that Jane was carrying a copy of the book Little Women. The children got off the bus at 10:15am. The police believed that the local postman, Tom Patterson, saw the children walking along Jetty Rd towards the beach. The postman knew the children and they yelled to him, “It’s the postie!” However Mr Patterson now believes that this encounter was in the afternoon not the morning.
At about 11am a 74 year old woman was sitting in front of the Holdfast Sailing Club building on a bench under some trees when she saw the three children playing under a sprinkler on the lawn of Colley Reserve. There was a man with them wearing blue swimming trunks lying face down in the grass. He seemed to be watching the children. About 15 minutes later she saw the man playing with the children who were flicking him with their towels.
Between 11am and 11:15am a school friend of Jane’s (the eldest) saw the children but did not talk to them. Around 11:45am the Beaumont children were spotted at Wenzel’s cake shop, purchasing some pasties and a pie, using a £1 note. Mrs Beaumont later admitted that she had only given Jane eight shillings and sixpence. Just enough for the bus fare to and from the beach. The children were supposed to catch the bus home at noon.
At about12pm, another woman was sitting on another nearby bench. The bench also had an elderly couple and their 10 year old granddaughter. A man and three children approached. The man matched the description of the 74 year old woman’s description of the man. They were almost certain that the children were the eldest and youngest children but definite that the middle
At 10:10am on 26th January 1966, the three Beaumont children caught a bus to go to the beach. The bus stop was less than 100 metres from their home. The bus driver, Mr I. D. Monroe, confirmed that he had seen the children get on and off his bus. A passenger also noticed them and was able to recall the colours of the clothes the children were wearing and that Jane was carrying a copy of the book Little Women. The children got off the bus at 10:15am. The police believed that the local postman, Tom Patterson, saw the children walking along Jetty Rd towards the beach. The postman knew the children and they yelled to him, “It’s the postie!” However Mr Patterson now believes that this encounter was in the afternoon not the morning.
At about 11am a 74 year old woman was sitting in front of the Holdfast Sailing Club building on a bench under some trees when she saw the three children playing under a sprinkler on the lawn of Colley Reserve. There was a man with them wearing blue swimming trunks lying face down in the grass. He seemed to be watching the children. About 15 minutes later she saw the man playing with the children who were flicking him with their towels.
Between 11am and 11:15am a school friend of Jane’s (the eldest) saw the children but did not talk to them. Around 11:45am the Beaumont children were spotted at Wenzel’s cake shop, purchasing some pasties and a pie, using a £1 note. Mrs Beaumont later admitted that she had only given Jane eight shillings and sixpence. Just enough for the bus fare to and from the beach. The children were supposed to catch the bus home at noon.
At about12pm, another woman was sitting on another nearby bench. The bench also had an elderly couple and their 10 year old granddaughter. A man and three children approached. The man matched the description of the 74 year old woman’s description of the man. They were almost certain that the children were the eldest and youngest children but definite that the middle