One of the Camp 020 interrogators involved in the questioning of Josef Jakobs was not included in Richter’s parachute outing. A.D. Meurig Evans was a 2nd Lieutenant and while Evans is a rather common name, Meurig Evans is a bit more unique. Again, by cross-referencing the British Army Lists and the London Gazette from 1940 […]
A.D.M. Evans – United Nations Director and Interrogator at Camp 020 in 1941. Read More »
N.B. 2021 03 25 – I’ve been doing a bit more digging into Edward and a new blog is available here. Digging up information on the elusive Camp 020 interrogators is a bit tricky given that they were generally only referenced by their initials and last name (e.g. E.B. Goodacre). Several sources suggested that Goodacre’s
E.B. Goodacre – Historian and Interrogator at Camp 020 in 1941 Read More »
Digging up information on the elusive Camp 020 interrogators is a bit tricky given that they were generally only referenced by their initials and last name (e.g. G.F. Sampson) and rarely by their first and last names (e.g. George Sampson). But, by cross-referencing the British Army Lists and the London Gazette from 1940 and 1941,
G.F. Sampson – Diplomat and Interrogator at Camp 020 in 1941 Read More »
Very few photographs exist of the mysterious interrogators from Camp 020, also known as Latchmere House, Ham Common or simply Ham. In May 1941, with the help of Josef Jakobs, Camp 020 interrogators finally broke newly arrived spy Karel Richter. On the morning of 18 May, Richter reluctantly admitted that he had arrived by parachute.
Interrogators at Camp 020 in 1941 Read More »
During World War II, 15 men were hanged as spies in Great Britain, either at Pentonville Prison or Wandsworth Prison. Many of those spies were hanged by Albert Pierrepoint, a man who would eventually become known as Britain’s Most Efficient Executioner. Pierrepoint served as a hangman from 1932 to 1956 and during that period executed
Albert Pierrepoint – Britain’s Most Efficient Executioner Read More »
During World War II, Britain executed 16 spies under the Treachery Act (1940). Of the sixteen, fifteen were tried in civil court and hanged, either at Pentonville Prison or Wandsworth Prison. Only one enemy agent, Josef Jakobs, was tried by court martial and subsequently shot at the Tower of London. This anomaly – one court
Anomalies in the Execution of Wartime Spies in Britain Read More »
In 2010 or 2011, I posted a photograph of Josef to his virtual memorial on the Find-a-Grave website. I used a slightly warped photograph with a low resolution. Since I posted that photograph, it has migrated around the web, used freely (and without acknowledgement) by various bloggers. It seems odd to search for Josef on
Josef Jakobs – A Photograph of a German Spy Read More »
The first people to find Josef Jakobs on the morning of 1 February, 1941, were two farmers: Charles Baldock and Harry Coulson. Their discovery was passed along to an ever expanding circle of people. One of the farmers went to a nearby farm and notified Henry James Godfrey, a Home Guard Volunteer. Godfrey, in turn,
Ramsey Company Home Guard – Two Officers of Mystery Read More »
The court martial of an enemy agent was no simple matter. Josef Jakobs was a member of the German military, the English had decided that he could be tried by a court martial. But in order to comply with military law, Josef needed to have a commanding officer who could implement the proceedings. In late
The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: The Officer Commanding Grenadier Guards Read More »
MI5’s application to have German spy Josef Jakobs tried by court martial had been accepted by the Attorney General in late June. The officers of MI5 had anticipated that the court martial would take place within two weeks of the AG’s approval but there was some difficulty in arranging military prison accommodations for Josef within
The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: the Judge Advocate Read More »