War separates families. It separated Josef Jakobs from his wife and children, permanently. It’s not a unique story but sometimes I wonder… after hostilities… do people find each other again? Or are they forever burst asunder by the legacy of conflict? A few months back, I had written a blog post about the apparent estrangement […]
Robin W.G. Stephens – Clues from a Gravestone Read More »
In reviewing the military file of Robin W.G. Stephens, I came across several references to Abyssinia and/or Ethiopia. On his application file, Stephens was asked: Have you an intimate knowledge of any parts of the British Empire, and/or Foreign Countries? His handwriting is a bit of a cipher but it appears to read: Near &
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War and Robin W.G. Stephens Read More »
I’ve known for a while that Robin W.G. Stephens, commandant of Camp 020, had spent some years in Muscat during the late 1920s. The more I dug into the Muscat Levy Corps, however, the more perplexed I became. What was a British officer doing commanding a group of soldiers, drawn from what is now Pakistan,
The Muscat Levy Corps and Captain Robin William George Stephens Read More »
Sometimes, when you hit a brick wall, it’s good to back up, and try another route. Given the current brick wall with the unknown death date of Robin William George Stephens, former commandant of Camp 020, I thought I would back up all the way to his first wife. I have tried various side tracks
Phyllis Gwendolen Townshend – first wife of Robin William George Stephens Read More »
A few months back, I received an expanded version of the British Army personnel record for Robin William George Stephens. A couple of years ago, I was contacted by a cousin of Stephens’ and with his assistance was able to apply as a “family member”, which meant that more documents were released than to a
Expanded British Army Personnel Records from Robin William George Stephens Read More »
I had emailed Christopher Andrew (author of the authorized history of MI5 – Defend the Realm/Defence of the Realm) a few weeks back asking if he had any further information on Robin W.G. Stephens, commandant of MI5’s secret interrogation centre, Camp 020. Specifically, I was interested in any information on Stephens’ death. Andrew replied back
Robin W.G. Stephens – Some more leads Read More »
A few years ago, I received an email from a cousin of Robin W.G. Stephens (commandant of Camp 020). Robin had an aunt… and this cousin is the grandson of the aunt. I think. I had applied for Stephens’ army records in 2016 but, without a family connection, I received the sanitized version of his
Robin W.G. Stephens and the Estrangement wrought by War Read More »
I have written a series of blog posts about Robin W. G. Stephens as he played a pivotal role in the Josef Jakobs story as commandant of Camp 020 interrogation centre. A couple of months ago I had a fascinating email exchange with Nick Hinton, a former commander of the 2nd Gurkha Regiment, and now
Robin W.G. Stephens and the Wana Column (1920-1921) Read More »
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 »
I had a comment on one of my Stephens blogs the other day from Stephen D. Stephen had tracked down a London Gazette notice dated 22 May 1942 relating to the second “wife” of Robin Stephens. It would appear that Joan Geraldine Pearson Dowling may not have married Robin Stephens, but simply undergone a legal
Another Clue in the Hunt for Robin William George Stephens Read More »