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 on Josef when he landed in England. The notebook is open to page 38 which features a picture of the King of Roumania and the words:
“Der Könige Von Rumanie” and “Deutschland über Alle!”
Leaving aside the poor German syntax, the reference to the King of Roumania, and the fact that the handwriting is not that of Josef, I am left to wonder, what is this notebook doing in a display featuring Josef?
Accessing the PRO files on Josef, I examine the original notebook (the display version is a facsimile) and discover on the inside cover several stickers from UK regiments as well as the name:
K.C. Howard
17 Evelyn Road,
Sparkhill,
Birmingham
England
A small blue appointment book from 1936 (also found on Josef) belongs to Kenneth C. Howard (also Birmingham, but a different street address). An MI5 note references the Birmingham police records.
Who is Kenneth C. Howard? How did his notebooks end up in the possession of Josef Jakobs? Were they stolen? Did the MI5 interrogators check out the Birmingham connection? A mystery to be solved.
N.B. Additional information has since come to light, which is covered in new blog postings:
The Mystery of the Two Notebooks and a Boy named Kenneth C. Howard
The Mysterious Diary of Kenneth C. Howard
Kenneth C. Howard’s Little Black Book