Every once in a while, a few more bits of information about Robin William George Stephens float my way. The latest batch come from an odd assortment of sources. MI5 – Bad Nenndorf & Robin W.G. Stephens The MI5 website has had a bit of a face-lift and they now include a whole page dedicated […]
Robin William George Stephens – A few Bibs & Bobs Read More »
At last! The copy of Double Agent Celery that I ordered in December has finally arrived! I am looking forward to reading it (review coming in the next few weeks). In the meantime, there is a fascinating interview with author Carolinda Witt on the Conversations program on Australia’s ABC Radio. You can listen to the
Double Agent CELERY – update Read More »
It would appear that Alex Merrill’s new book and the facial reconstruction he has commissioned has sparked some interest in the case. I was reading a Birmingham Live article (author Mike Lockley) that came out today. It is so full of errors, I can’t even begin to touch on all of them. They do, however,
Media Review – Birmingham Live article on Bella in the Wych Elm (2018) Read More »
The Book Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm – Volume 1 – The Crime Scene Revisited. Alex Merrill. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018. Summary Well, this was a surprise! A 16 year old from Halesown, Alex Merrill, has written a book on Bella in the Wych Elm. It came out on Friday, February 23,
It’s fair to say, I think, that Bella in the Wych Elm was definitely not the German cabaret singer Clara Bauerle. I’ve laid out the facts in other blogs and the evidence seems pretty overwhelming. But even though we can lay Clara Bauerle to rest, there is another Clara whose name has been circulated as
Debunked: Bella in the Wych Elm was the wife of spy Johannes Marinus Dronkers Read More »
Goodness, Bella now has her very own Wikipedia page! It’s actually been around for a couple of years but had a flurry of activity on it in the last few days. Given how popular the topic is… it remains to be seen how the page will maintain its accuracy. It quotes heavily from the Alison
Wikipedia Page – Bella in the Wych Elm Read More »
In October 2016, the BBC filmed a short segment on Josef Jakobs at the Tower of London. It briefly tells the tale of Josef’s execution at the Tower. It also shows the first meeting between Kate, the daughter of William Chidlow and myself, the granddaughter of Josef Jakobs. Chidlow was one of the Military Policemen
BBC One Show – Last Execution at the Tower of London Read More »
Seventy-seven years ago, in the evening of January 31, 1941, Josef Jakobs left Schipol Aerodrome on the Continent in the belly of a matte-black HE-111 aircraft. Less than two hours later, he parachuted into England with a wireless transmitter strapped to his chest. He injured his right leg during his exit from the aircraft, smashing
Wanted: Parachute Spies – No Training Provided Read More »
In March 2013, Alison Vale wrote an article for The Independent, which connected German cabaret singer Clara Bauerle with Bella in the Wych Elm. The article noted that Josef Jakobs was a “Czech-born Gestapo agent”. Since then, numerous web articles, blogs and news articles have propagated that information. Unfortunately, that statement is not accurate. Czech
Josef Jakobs – Agent of the Abwehr or the Gestapo? Read More »
Back in December 2017, I received a fascinating email from Tom Drayton, Director of Pregnant Fish Theatre and lecturer at the Universities of East London and Worcester. Tom teaches archival performance which sounds kind of strange until you learn that he basically “teaches students how to engage with archival material and research through performance experiments
An Intriguing Stage Production of Bella in the Wych Elm Read More »