The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 3: Unrepentant Convicted Felon

/ People / 23 minutes of reading

N.B. This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Previous blog post links are at the bottom of this post. Introduction In the previous installment of this series, we witnessed Ely slide from a legitimate, presumably successful accountant to a sketchy, unqualified immigration consultant. Ely also put the American justice system […]

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The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 2 – From Respected Accountant to Shady Immigration Consultant

/ People / 29 minutes of reading

N.B. This is Part 2 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Part 1 can be viewed here. Links to the other parts are at the bottom of this post. Introduction Ely Goldsmith seemingly had it made, carving out a new life for himself in the USA. He was a naturalized citizen. He was

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an accounting ledger with handwritten numbers

The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 1: From Berlin to New York

/ People / 25 minutes of reading

How does a Certified Public Accountant end up in jail, not once, but twice, for smuggling aliens into the USA? How does a tax accountant end up dabbling in passports and visas? When I first came across H. Ely Goldsmith’s name in the Swiss Archives files, I had no idea he would lead me down

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Draper, Nurse, Midwife, Spy: The Fantastical Life of Margaret Spencer

/ People / 28 minutes of reading

While searching for nuns and spies the other week, Google presented a few results that piqued my curiosity. All of the hits revolved around a lady named Margaret Spencer from Eastbourne. She had passed away in June 2014 and, after her death, her family revealed that Margaret had been a wartime spy. Now, this is

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The Nun Who Wasn’t: Unveiling a Spy Story Too Strange to Believe

/ Books / 4 minutes of reading

During the Second World War, rumours of parachute spies dressed as nuns proliferated through the English countryside. Woe betide any nun who went out without her identity papers! She was likely to be arrested and frog-marched to the nearest police station. Of course, we now know those rumours were unfounded. But then… I overheard heard

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From the Mailbox: Echoes of Spies, Refugees, and Court Martials – September 2024

/ Mailbox / 4 minutes of reading

I have received some fascinating mail over the last few months. I am always a bit shocked when people write to me, seemingly out of the blue, and claim their connection to one of the historical figures that I have written about. In so many ways, we are all connected, and these stories, the stories

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western saddle on a horse

Back in the Blogging Saddle

/ People / 3 minutes of reading

I’ve been absent from this blog for almost a year but I am now back in the blogging saddle! I hope. It is amazing how times flies! Life can get hectic and sometimes choices have to be made. I am slowly learning that I cannot do “everything”. For the past year, other life projects took

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Book Review – Falling Hard for the Royal Guard – Megan Clawson – 2023

/ Books / 3 minutes of reading

Well, this is a bit of a departure from my normal reading material. I came across this book during one of my internet searches and… it looked interesting. And light and fluffy. So, why the heck not. And who knows, it might even mention Josef Jakobs! On top of that, this gives me a bit

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