A Follow-up to Clara Bauerle and Bella in the Wych Elm

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German singer, Clara Bauerle. (a postcard photograph found in the possession of German spy, Josef Jakobs - from the National Archives)
German singer, Clara Bauerle.
(a postcard photograph found in the possession
of German spy, Josef Jakobs - from the
National Archives)
It's always neat to connect with other bloggers and researchers. A few months ago, I connected with D.J. Cockburn who writes a blog entitled Cockburn's Eclectics. DJ wanted to do a piece on Bella in the Wych Elm and touched base with me as he knew I had done some research on Clara Bauerle.

He crafted a rather fascinating blog entry about the Wych Elm story and came up with a few interesting theories. His blog is well worth a read.

For a while I had entertained the thought that perhaps Bella in the Wych Elm was the infamous Vera Erickson, one of the German spies who landed on the Banffshire coast near Port Gordon in September 1940. Vera was supposedly repatriated to Germany but the British authorities lost track of her quickly. The Bella files indicate that the woman found in the Wych Elm was 5 feet tall. Vera, it turns out was 5'5" tall... and Clara Bauerle was even taller. But check out DJ's blog for a few other theories.

Comments

DJ Cockburn said…
Somehow I missed this until now but many thanks. It's almost a pity that you ruled out Vera Erickson as a bit of espionage would add yet another layer of strangeness to the story. I'm still thinking the drunken escapade gone wrong is the most likely explanation, though it doesn't fill all the gaps.
Anyway, thanks again for your interest.
March 24, 2015 at 2:40 AM
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It has taken me a few years, pursuing many leads, but I can finally say that Clara Bauerle has been laid to rest.

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A while ago, I ordered the birth registration for Clara, from the Standesamt in Ulm. That record gave her death registration number in Berlin.

With that in hand, I wrote to the relevant Standesamt in Berlin and, after a lengthy wait, received her death registration in the mail last week. Translation follows below...


The actress Hedwig Klara Bauerle, Protestant, living in Berlin, Bleibtreustrasse 32, did, on 16 December 1942 at 12:15 in Berlin-Oberschoneweide, Konigin-Elisabeth-Hospital, die.
The deceased was born on 27 August 1905 in Ulm (Standesamt Ulm/Donau Nr.../...).
Father - Fruitseller Adolf Bauerle, deceased, last living in Ulm.
Mother - Dorothea Barbara Bauerle, born Schaufele,…
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Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

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Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

On 18 April 1943, near the town of Stourbridge, four young boys in search of bird nests in Hagley Wood found a hollow elm tree (a Wych Elm or Scots Elm). One boy climbed up and peered into the hollow trunk and found a human skull staring back at him. Despite a pact of silence, one boy, Tommy Willetts, told his father about their grisly discovery and the police were quickly called.
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The woman was thought to be 35-40 years old. She was five feet tall with mousy brown hair and a deformed lower jaw. She wore a cheap gold wedding ring, no more than four years old, and had …
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Who was Clara Bauerle? What really happened to her? To begin with, we have to recognize that Clara Bauerle's name could be spelled in a variety of ways:      Claire/Cläre/Clära/Clara
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If one searches long and hard on the internet, one can find the following information on the singer/actress known as Clara Bauerle.

Early Life & Movie Career

Clara was born 27 August 1905 in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

In 1932-1933, Clara had a small part in the movie Die Blume von Hawaii (The Flower of Hawaii) which was released on 21 March 1933.

In 1939-1940, she played a young lady at the ball in the movie Bal Paré which was released 22 May 1940.

Singing Career

Clara also had a music career and by piecing together her recordings, the following timeline emerges: 1940 September - Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blü'n (1608 - Tempo 5035) with Bernhard Etté Orchester1940 September - Die Männer sind schon die Liebe wert (1612 - Tempo 5038 & 4176A) with…
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