German Spy Josef Jakobs Incarcerated in Wandsworth Prison – July 23 to August 15, 1941

History of Wandsworth Prison Wandsworth Prison opened its doors in 1851 as The Surrey House of Correction. It was constructed using a modified “Panopticon” design with a central hub from which four wings radiated. Initially 700 prisoners were housed at Wandsworth each in an individual cell with toilet facilities. Eventually the toilet facilities were removed […]

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Willem Hertzog – Doctor to German Spy Josef Jakobs

Introduction On February 1, 1941, Josef Jakobs was discovered in a field at Dovehouse Farm near Ramsey, Huntingdonshire. Josef had suffered a broken ankle during his descent by parachute from a German aircraft. Unable to move, he summoned help by firing his pistol into the air. Two farmers found Josef that morning and notified the

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Website Review – RAF Upwood

RAF Bases near Ramsey When Josef landed near the village of Ramsey on the evening of January 31, 1941, he had a map in his possession which caused quite a stir with the local authorities. A pencilled circle and a cross marked the locations of two Royal Air Force Bases. The cross marked RAF Upwood

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Josef Jakobs: An Invalid at Dulwich Hospital, London

History of Dulwich Hospital St. Saviour’s Union Infirmary (a workhouse hospital) was was built in 1885 in East Dulwich Grove. It was designed by local architects, Henry Jarvis & Sons, and opened in 1887 with a capacity of 723 beds. The infirmary was constructed with a pavilion layout: a large administrative block with two wings

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Website Review – Trivia Library – The Last Execution in the Tower of London

Website Trivia Library – Famous Lasts – The Last Execution in the Tower of London Review There are many references to Josef Jakobs on the internet. The Trivia Library entry provides a fairly long article and is often referenced by other websites. The article on Josef is essentially a repeat of an article taken from

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Book Review – Tales from the Tower of London by Daniel Diehl & Mark P. Donnelly

The Book Tales from the Tower of London, Daniel Diehl & Mark P. Donnelly, The History Press, 2004 edition. Review This book receives Average to Good reviews on Amazon. Several Amazon reviewers have noted that the book is rife with errors and historical inaccuracies. While their comments focus on inaccuracies from chapters that focus on

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A Review of Stephen Stratford’s website on British Military & Criminal History

There are many websites on the internet that make reference to Josef Jakobs. A plethora of sites feature the trivia question: Who was the last person executed in the Tower of London? In addition to the trivia sites, there are several that contain grossly inaccurate information (reviews in progress). There are also several that present

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Josef Jakobs landed by parachute near Ramsey, Huntingdonshire

On the night of January 31, 1941, Josef Jakobs descended by parachute just southeast of the sleepy village of Ramsey, Huntingdonshire.  His descent in the darkness was unnoticed. His capture the following morning was inevitable given that he had broken his ankle either departing the aircraft or upon landing in a potato field. He was

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