Black-and-white image of three jockeys mid-jump over a hedge fence during a steeplechase, with a grandstand and large crowd in the background.

The Farmer Who Wasn’t: Clifford Beechener, Jockey, Trainer, Spy-Catcher

/ People / 19 minutes of reading

Most accounts of Gösta Caroli’s capture in September 1940 note that he was apprehended by a farmer in Northamptonshire. This is true enough—but “farmer” hardly does Clifford Charles Beechener justice. He was also a celebrated steeplechase jockey, a respected trainer with winners to his name, and a man whose photograph had appeared in the sporting […]

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Brown suitcase containing a German Abwehr wireless transmitter/receiver used by a captured WWII spy, with visible tuning dials, wiring, and Pertrix batteries.

Northampton’s Wartime Spy Radio: Caroli and the Wrong Number

/ Things / 14 minutes of reading

When MI5 distributed the captured spy radios after the war, the Northamptonshire Police received one. It was catalogued and displayed as belonging to Gösta Caroli. That attribution stuck—in books, in labels, in memory. But the radio itself tells a different story, if you know where to look. Introduction Gösta Caroli was one of the Operation

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Illustration of a human brain with highlighted glowing areas showing neurological activity or trauma.

Concussion, Confabulation, and Caroli: Rethinking an “Unreliable” Agent

/ People / 16 minutes of reading

Imagine stepping out of a plane at night, a heavy wireless set strapped to your chest. The parachute snaps open, jolting you violently. When you hit the ground, the thirty-pound case slams into your chin, and your head hits the ground. No helmet. No medics. Just the start of a mission you are already too

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Weathered wooden barn and covered well at dusk, surrounded by dry grass and bare trees, evoking the quiet eeriness of a forgotten prairie homestead.

The Woman in the Well: A Century-Old Murder Finally Solved

/ Bella in the Wych Elm / 18 minutes of reading

N.B. The Saskatoon Police announced this at the end of September 2025.New details may emerge after the publication of this blog (8 October 2025). What if Bella could be named today? In Britain, the “Woman in the Wych Elm” remains one of the most enduring mysteries of the Second World War—her skeleton discovered in Worcestershire

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Book review of Gösta Caroli – Dubbelagent Summer by Simon Olsson and Tommy Jonason

Book Review – Gösta Caroli – Dubbelagent SUMMER – Simon Olsson and Tommy Jonason (2015)

/ Books / 21 minutes of reading

The Book Gösta Caroli – Dubbelagent Summer, Simon Olsson and Tommy Jonason, Vulkan, 2015. Background Several years ago, I read Olsson and Jonason’s book on double agent TATE (the Dane Wulf Schmidt). It was a well-researched and valuable addition to my espionage library. In 2015, Olsson and Jonason self-published another book, this time on double

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Vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycle on a winding mountain road in the mountains, evoking Gösta Caroli’s tales of crossing the Rockies by motorbike.

From Silver Foxes to Double Agents: Ulf Caroli’s Family Story

/ People / 28 minutes of reading

Last September, I wrote a blog post about an email from Bengt Caroli, the grand-nephew of Gösta Caroli—one of the lucky few LENA spies who survived the war. Bengt asked if I’d ever been in touch with his father, Ulf Caroli. Ulf, son of Gunnar Caroli (Gösta’s brother), passed away in 2016, but he had

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Parachute tangled in a leafless tree beside a railway track on a misty day.

Lost for Decades: The WWII Pilot Found Hanging in a Tree

/ People / 5 minutes of reading

While chasing down obscure clues about “Bella in the Wych Elm,” I stumbled across a Quora thread with an eerie, specific claim: that the skeleton of a German Luftwaffe pilot—shot down over Kent during the war—was discovered still hanging from his parachute in a tree… over 30 years later. … A German fighter pilot was

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Green vintage mailbox mounted on a brick wall, used as header image for “From the Mailbox” blog series.

From the Mailbox – RIPs, Bruins, and Obed – September 2025

/ Mailbox / 4 minutes of reading

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these “Mailbox” posts. Over the past year, I’ve had a mix of emails, blog comments, and news items worth sharing. Some are small updates, some are weighty losses, and some are just too interesting to leave languishing in my inbox. Consider this a catch-up before we

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