Today in 1941, Josef was returned to Ham Common (a.k.a. Camp 020) from Brixton Prison Infirmary. Upon his arrival at Camp 020, Josef was handed over to Captain George F. Sampson who induced Josef to make several statements.
On 15 April, Josef typed up an account of his life which was handed in to Sampson the following day. The statement touched on Josef’s birth and childhood, leading into his World War I service with the 4th Foot Guards Regiment. Josef then went on to relate his post-war activities, his dentistry studies and his trip to Argentina. After returning to Germany in 1924, Josef practiced as a dentist, got married and had three children. With the financial turmoil of the early 1930s, Josef engaged in various questionable business transactions which eventually culminated in 1934 with his arrest and imprisonment in Switzerland for gold forgery. After his release from prison, he returned to Germany and became involved in a blackmarket passport business through which Jews wishing to escape Germany could purchase foreign passports, for a price. In October 1938, Josef claimed that he was arrested because of the passport business and sent to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, from which he was released on 20 March, 1940.
The statement, typewritten in German, was translated into English by the officers at Camp 020.