Thomas Hosie

Thomas Hosie was found dead in a water filled sewer at the former Royal Highland showground at Corsorophine in Edinburgh.

At the time he was found the police said that they had not ruled out foul play.

He was a watchman and had lived in Hutchison Road in Edinburgh.

It was not known when he had fallen into the sewer. He had gone on duty at the showground at one o'clock on the Saturday and had been due to be relieved at 3pm on the Sunday, 8 April 1956, but there was no trace of him when his relief arrived.

However, it was said that the fire in the watchman's hut was still burning when the relief had arrived and that it was assumed that he had gone home and no alarm was felt.

After Thomas Hosie failed to return home the police were informed and his body was found soon after about 400 yards from the watchman's hut. The police said that the discovery of his body raised two questions:

1. What made Thomas Hosie go past the sewer?
2. When did he fall in?

It was noted that the route past the sewer was not a short cut to the main road.

The foreman at the site, which was being drained by the city engineer's department of Edinburgh corporation, said, 'The circumstances are rather mysterious'.

Members of the police CID were called out to investigate his death and they were seen to take photographs of the scene.