There are many snippets of articles about Josef Jakobs on the internet. Most limit themselves to the now familiar question: “Who was the last person executed in the Tower of London?”. Some, however, delve into his past with a bit more detail and are worthy of a closer look. On 9 April, 1999, the Jerusalem […]
Article Review – Jerusalem Post – Hitler’s Jewish Agents – 9 April 1999 Read More »
It is a well-established fact that Josef Jakobs was executed at the Tower of London on 15 August 1941. What is not so clear is this: was Jakobs held at the Tower prior to his execution? Several stories variously suggest that he was held at the Tower (a) for the night prior to his death,
Was Josef Jakobs held as a prisoner of the Tower of London? Read More »
William Reginald Huleatt Heddy was born on 30 December 1890 in London His parents were William Jackson Heddy and Laura Mary Latter. The family lived in Kensington with their servants and were quite well to-do as William Sr. was a surgical physician. While career options for William’s three sisters were limited, young William was destined
W.R.H. Heddy – Coroner at the Post-Mortem of German Spy Josef Jakobs Read More »
Josef Jakobs was executed by firing squad at 7:12 am on Friday 15 August 1941, at the Tower of London. After the execution, a post-mortem was conducted and on Monday 18 August 1941, Jakobs was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kensal Green. There is some uncertainty as to who conducted the post-mortem on Jakobs.
Who performed the post-mortem on executed German spy Josef Jakobs? Read More »
In the early morning hours of August 15, 1941, Josef Jakobs was escorted to the Tower of London for his execution. The firing squad that carried out the execution was drawn from members of the Scots Guards Holding Battalion. The commander of the firing squad was Major P.D.J. Waters. Philip Duncan Joseph Waters Philip Duncan
Major P.D.J. Waters – Commander of the Firing Squad that Executed Josef Jakobs Read More »
On the afternoon of February 2, having spent the night in Brixton Prixon Infirmary, Josef Jakobs was brought to Latchmere House (Camp 020) for a preliminary interrogation. Dr. Harold Dearden, the camp doctor and psychiatrist took note of Jakobs’ physical attributes (height, weight, etc.) and formed part of the panel that questioned Jakobs. The interrogation
Dr. Harold Dearden – Psychiatrist at Camp 020 Read More »
World War II Today is an interesting site with stories from the war, updated 70 years after the event. The site is currently posting events from 1944 but the site also has articles from previous years. One article entitled the Last Execution in the Tower of London appears for 15 August 1941. The article is
Website Review – World War II Today Read More »
Tidbits of information about Josef abound on the internet, usually in the context of trivia questions such as “Who was the last person executed in the Tower of London”. There are other websites which contain a bit more information and one of those is Historic Ramsey in Pictures. (N.B. 2021 – link no longer works).
Website Review – Historic Ramsey in Pictures Read More »
AcknowledgementMany thanks to Martyn Smith, grandson of Horace Jaikens, for kindly sharing information and photographs about his grandfather. On 1 February, 1941, Josef Jakobs, erstwhile German spy, was found by a couple of farm workers in a potato field southwest of the town of Ramsey, Huntingdonshire. The farmers found Harry Godfrey, a member of the
Inspector Horace Jaikens – Huntingdonshire Constabulary Read More »
Josef Jakobs was a Roman Catholic. During his incarceration at Camp 020, it is unlikely that he received spiritual care. However, once he was transferred to Wandsworth Prison, some options opened up for him. Several articles and books state that Josef was offered the services of a German priest, Fr. Josef Simmel of St. Boniface
Spiritual Care & Last Rites for Josef Jakobs Read More »