After a good stretch of writing, I’m stepping back for the spring and summer. The blog will be on hiatus for the next few months while I focus on work, travel, and a few ongoing projects. The research doesn’t stop—it just shifts out of public view for a while. If you’re new here, there’s a […]
Extended Hiatus (April–September) Read More »
I’ve known for decades that the First World War spies were buried at the East London Cemetery & Crematorium in Plaistow. It’s a long trek out to that corner of London, and I’d never found the time to get out there. During my visit to London in December 2025, however, I finally made the time.
The WWI German Spies Buried at East London Cemetery Read More »
When I was planning my December 2025 trip to England, a documentary team from LionTV reached out about a segment for Channel 5’s Inside the Tower. We had initially discussed doing the interview over Zoom, but once they learned I would be in London, we arranged to film at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, where Josef
Behind the Scenes for an “Inside the Tower” Piece Read More »
I’m not quite sure how I missed the Channel 5 series, Inside the Tower. It’s been around since 2018! Blame it on living in Canada, Covid-19, and the general impossibility of watching British TV from overseas. Normally I have to use TunnelBear to convince websites that my IP address is actually in the UK. Sometimes
Media Review – Inside the Tower S1E3 (2018) Read More »
Many of the spies executed in England during the two world wars were brought through the doors of the Bow Street Magistrates’ Court. Over its nearly 300-year history, Bow Street dealt with an extraordinary range of high-profile cases: author Oscar Wilde, Irish nationalist Roger Casement, fascist broadcaster William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) and key suffragettes like
A Visit to the Bow Street Police Museum Read More »
After a gap of almost seven years, I finally made it back to the National Archives at Kew. Between Covid-19 travel restrictions and personal events, the last seven years have been a bit of a blur, and international travel kept getting pushed onto the back burner. But in November 2025, the stars aligned and I
Back to the Files: A Quiet Week at the National Archives Read More »
N.B. I had done an earlier post on Josef Emil Roos in 2020, available here.This current one expands on his life story. Across four decades, Josef Emil Roos turned paper into power—until the paper stopped moving. In 2020 I traced the path of Emil Josef Roos as a shadowy swindler orbiting the likes of Hans
Emil Josef Roos, Revisited: New Swiss, German, and Dutch Files (1901–1941) Read More »
This is the Addendum of a five-part series on the Sommerfeld family,tracing the right-wing affiliations of Harald Tobler and hints of Yvonne’s involvement with the French military.Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here. Part 5 is here. I was sure that I had finished the Sommerfeld
Sommerfeld Addendum: A Right-Wing Agitator and Suspicions of French Intelligence Read More »
A few years ago, Nick Hinton, a fellow researcher, discovered a couple of fascinating photographs of Robin W.G. Stephens in an antique photo album of the Wana Column from 1920–1921. The photographs were taken by renowned photographer R.B. Holmes. The photo album was listed on the Peter Harrington Gallery’s website as being for sale (£2250).
Hunting for Robin W. G. Stephens in the Waziristan Archives Read More »
This is Part 5 of a five-part series on the Sommerfeld family, tracing the later life of Yvonne Sommerfeld and her son Edgar.Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here.N.B. An Addendum can be found here, touching on Yvonne’s French military connections. We now turn to the
Yvonne Sommerfeld: The Chaos of a Borderless Life Read More »