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.
Because I planned to visit on a Saturday, when the cemetery offices are closed, I reached out a few weeks ahead of my trip to ask if they had a map. What they sent was a simple outline, with none of the notable graves marked.
(Base map from East London Cemetery & Crematorium)
I reached out again and was told that Carl Hans Lody was buried in Section 4. As for the other First World War spies, I already knew from online research that their memorial was just west of the HMS Albion memorial.
Given that I was staying in the Brentford area, to the west of London, getting to East London was a long journey — an hour on the District Line, followed by a short bus ride to the cemetery. It’s a large cemetery, though not as wild or overgrown as Highgate or Brompton.
The HMS Albion memorial lies straight through the gates: follow the central road until you can’t go any farther. The large anchor marks the resting place of 38 civilians killed in a strange disaster during the 21 June 1898 launch of HMS Albion. As the bow of the ship hit the Thames, a wave surged over improvised viewing platforms, sweeping spectators — mostly women and children — into the water.
To the left oft the HMS Albion memorial, a grassy path leads generally north–northwest through the graves. Section 4 doesn’t contain many marked headstones, and there’s no signage demarcating the section boundaries. Was I in Section 4 or Section 2? Hard to tell. After much to-ing and fro-ing, I eventually spotted Lody’s gravestone just east of that grassy path. It faces east, so his name isn’t visible from the trail. Luckily the stone is black, and there aren’t many like it in that part of the cemetery. Once you know where it is, it’s easy to find again.
(Base map from East London Cemetery & Crematorium)
Lody’s grave is neat and well-tended, with primulas and heather planted. I wonder if his descendants visit regularly? When it was originally set, the gravestone had gold lettering, but that has long since faded. Still, the stone is about fifty years old and has withstood the British climate well.
(Copyright G.K. Jakobs, 2025).
I picked my way back to the roadway and headed west from the HMS Albion memorial. I quickly found the memorial to the First World War spies. It’s quite worn and most of the names are unreadable, although I did recognize Wilhelm Roos among them. Someone has planted a few geraniums around the stone — and it’s nice to see that it is tended.
(Copyright G.K. Jakobs, 2025).
I do wonder where the First World War spies were actually laid to rest. Are they also buried somewhere in Section 4, in unmarked plots, with no descendants to purchase individual headstones? Surely the cemetery office has a more detailed register than the bare-bones map they sent — one that shows who lies where. Perhaps a task for another visit.