The German Spy and the Lewisham Barrister

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Mike Guilfoyle, Vice-Chair of the Friends of Bockley & Ladywell cemeteries. I’m always amazed at how many diverse people find my blog and reach out. Mike was researching historically interesting deceased individuals with links to Lewisham (just southeast of London) and came upon my website and blog.

Gravestone inscription for Eric Vincent Ewart White (from CWGC - Heliopolis Cemetery)
Gravestone inscription for Eric Vincent Ewart White (from CWGC – Heliopolis Cemetery)

As it turns out, Josef’s defending attorney, Eric Vincent Ewart White, was born in Ladywell, Lewisham and Mike wrote a short piece for the Ladywell Live site. He did a great job of summarizing the story of Josef Jakobs and his defence attorney. Mike had hoped to dig up some more information on E.V.E. White but was unsuccessful. I had written a blog about White five years ago and include the link here for interested readers.

I did a bit more digging on Eric, just to see if I could turn up any more information.

In my earlier blog, I had noted that he and his wife had a son, David, born in the early months of 1943. I now believe that this is David Vincent Ewart White, born 1943 in Exeter, Devon. David married Micheline Jarvis in 1967 and they had at least three children: Melanie Ewart-White (b 1969), Rowan Bailey Ewart-White (b 1971) and Fraser David Ewart-White (b 1973). David’s mother, Nona Lesley (née Davidson)  passed away in 1988 on the Channel Islands and may have remarried, dying with the surname Parkes. David passed away in 2014, likely in Weybridge, Sussex.

I reached out to one of Eric’s grandchildren today and will see if that yields any further information…

(Header image of Heliopolis Cemetery is from Commonwealth War Graves Commission site).

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