James Henry Godfrey (Harry to his friends and family) was a lucky man. He was born in 1903 in the village of Ramsey in Huntingdonshire. His parents, Harry & Sarah, timed his birth just right, for Harry ended up being too young to fight in World War I. By the time World War II rolled […]
James Henry Godfrey – Ramsey Home Guard Hero Read More »
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
Josef Jakobs landed by parachute near Ramsey, Huntingdonshire Read More »
The mystery and secrecy surrounding the capture of Josef Jakobs in 1941 has often made it difficult for researchers to track down accurate information on Jakobs and the circumstances surrounding his arrival in England. Over the years, two landing sites have been mentioned for Jakobs: North Stifford Village in Essex and Ramsey Village in Huntingdonshire.
Did Josef Jakobs land in North Stifford, Essex? Read More »
I had an interview with Terry Payne of Radio Times in late January 2012, when I visited London. While there are a few inaccuracies (I don’t work in schools for native Americans), on the whole it is fairly accurate. The print article (sent to me courtesy of National Geographic) has a picture of Josef, myself
Radio Times Article – April 16, 2012 Read More »
While Bloody Tales of the Tower has not yet aired on National Geographic in Canada, we can see a tiny snippet of it on their website. This show should NOT be confused with the Bloody Tales from the Tower which was highly inaccurate. Or you can watch the full episode on YouTube. The Josef Jakobs
Trailer from Bloody Tales of the Tower Read More »
Josef Jakobs was buried in the Common Plot at St. Mary’s Cemetery (Kensal Green, London). What this basically means, is that the public purse paid for his burial, along with many others. No gravestone marked his final resting place and in the mid-1970s, a thick layer of soil buried the resting places of all in
The Virtual Grave of Josef Jakobs Read More »
On the morning of February 1, 1941, the Ramsey Home Guard received word that a suspected spy (Josef Jakobs) had been discovered in a field near Dove House Farm. Situated near the RAF Upwood airbase, the Home Guard was primed to be on the lookout for suspicious folk. A simple phone call by Home Guard
I had no idea that Josef had a Facebook page! How can one have a Facebook page when one has been deceased for 70+ years? Well, apparently “famous people”, deceased or alive, get a Facebook page if they have a Wikipedia article. So the information on Josef’s Facebook page is essentially the same information as
Josef Jakobs on Facebook Read More »
N.B. See my February 12, 2017 blog for a break in the case. The Public Record Office (National Archives) in Kew has a small museum which, when I visited in January 2012, contained a small display case featuring some items to do with Josef. One of the items was a small black notebook, apparently found
Who is Kenneth C. Howard? Read More »
In searching the internet for information on Josef, I have come across an interesting assortment of misinformation. Depending on where you look on the internet, for example, Josef was executed on: a) August 13, 1941b) August 14, 1941c) August 15, 1941d) none of these dates The correct answer is August 15, 1941. The death warrant
Date of Execution for Josef Jakobs Read More »