Creatures, Myths & Legends

Man allegedly 'found and buried' the Loch Ness Monster 81 years ago

By T.K. Randall
October 23, 2023

Image: Urquhart Castle from Loch Ness
Credit: Dave Conner / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) According to reports, the story recently came to light after Alba Party General Secretary Christopher McEleny submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Inverclyde Council.

The incident, which had also been reported all the way back in 1980 by The Strathearn Herald, concerned a man by the name of Charles Rankin who, along with a second unnamed individual, discovered a "carcass of an animal the like of which neither of us had seen before" in 1942.

"I decided to dispose of the carcass before the smell became really offensive and this had to be done before the tide flowed again," the man told the paper at the time.

"The carcass was cut up into manageable pieces and removed to the town's incinerator grounds.""The remains were buried in the grounds of the town's incinerator. I had in mind to dig them up at a later date once the flesh had decomposed, but I left Gourock in 1946 and the opportunity was lost."

The response to the Freedom of Information Act request has since yielded some additional details.

"It was reported that as the MOD and Royal Navy prevented photography of the find that Gourock Corporation - now succeeded by Inverclyde Council - incinerated the beast and buried it beneath the what was playing fields of St Ninian's school in Gourock, which is now the site of St Ninian's school in Gourock," said a spokesman.

"The Public Protection Service's Contaminated Land Officer confirmed that if the sea monster was incinerated it is unlikely there would be much in the way of identifiable materials left."

Exactly what the alleged 'monster' actually was, however, continues to remain a mystery.

"This is the first time in decades that it's been confirmed by suitably qualified and in the know public officials that the stories are in fact true," said McEleny.

Source: Lad Bible

Tags: Loch Ness Monster