Erskine Veteran’s 60-year search for his giant tortoise shipmate

A Scottish Navy veteran, supported by Erskine Veterans Charity, is on a mission to track down a very unusual shipmate — a five-foot tortoise he last saw more than 60 years ago.

Simon Murdoch, now 88, was a young sailor in 1964 when his Royal Navy vessel, HMS Owen, visited the Seychelles. There, the crew was presented with a gift from the Governor, the Earl of Oxford and Asquith. It was a giant tortoise named Theresa.

Theresa was just 35 at the time, barely middle-aged in tortoise years. Simon was tasked with her care, feeding her daily, taking her for walks on deck, and even polishing her shell until it shone. His gentle stewardship was even captured in a Daily Mirror photograph that year.

Simon said: “When you’re at sea, you form bonds with your shipmates, and Theresa was as much a shipmate as anyone. I’d be up early to check on her, make sure she had fresh greens and water. She wasn’t quick to trust, but over time she came to recognise me. If she wanted a walk, I’d lead her around the deck, and she’d follow at her own pace. People might laugh, but you could tell she had her own personality. She was steady, calm, and I always felt she enjoyed the company.

“I looked after her, and she looked after me too. When we handed her over to Plymouth Zoo, I thought I’d see her again. But life takes you in different directions, and I’ve often wondered, is she still alive? Did she have a good life? If she’s still here, she’d be well over 90. It would mean the world to know what happened to her.”

Simon now spends much of his time at the Erskine Veterans Activity Centre in Forres, the charity’s first hub in the north of Scotland, based in the former Victoria Hotel.

The centre provides a lifeline for veterans in Morayshire and the Highlands, offering everything from social activities and skills workshops to specialist welfare advice through its “One-Stop-Shop” service.

Wing Commander Ian Cumming MBE, Erskine’s Chief Executive, said: “Simon’s story is a reminder of the unique and sometimes extraordinary experiences our veterans have. These memories are part of their identity, and they deserve to be heard, respected and shared.

“Erskine exists to provide a place where veterans can connect, not just with services, but with each other, with their own history, and with the wider community. Stories like Simon’s capture the imagination, but they also highlight something important: the bonds formed in service never truly fade.

“At our Forres Activity Centre, we see every day how reconnecting with those bonds, whether through shared memories, new friendships, or finding practical support, can transform someone’s outlook. That’s why places like EVAC North matter. We are proud to be part of Simon’s journey in trying to solve this mystery, and we’d be delighted if the public could help him find out what became of Theresa.”

Erskine is Scotland’s leading Veterans charity, providing unrivalled care and support for former servicemen and women since 1916. Alongside award-winning nursing, residential and dementia care homes on the east and west coasts, and activity centres in Renfrewshire and Morayshire, the charity runs a Veterans Village in Bishopton with 44 family cottages, five Assisted Living Apartments and 23 Transitional Supported Accommodation Apartments.

Anyone with information about Theresa’s fate is asked to contact Erskine at

Erskine EVAC North - evac-north@erskine.org.uk

For further information please contact Susan Hamilton, Communications Officer, on 0141 814 4719 or email susan.hamilton@erskine.org.uk

To find out more about Erskine Veterans Charity’s work please visit our website at www.erskine.org.uk, follow on twitter @ErskineCharity via Facebook www.facebook.com/ErskineVeteransCharity. To donate directly to Erskine, please visit Erskine.org.uk/donate.

Erskine Veterans Charity | Company No. SC174103 | Registered Charity No. SC006609 | The Erskine Home, Erskine Veterans Village, Bishopton, PA7 5PU