Update on Clara Bauerle and the Bella in the wych elm story

16th December 2016

Earlier in the year we posted a blog ‘Who put Bella in the wych elm‘ as part of our Monthly Mysteries series. In it we hinted that the link with Clara Bauerle, the German singer and actress, was one which was still being actively explored. We can now reveal that the researcher who was following this lead believes she has finally laid this story to rest.

Giselle Jakobs recently published a blog in which she stated that she had finally traced a copy of Clara Bauerle’s death registration. This indicated that Clara died on 16 December 1942 from veronal poisoning in a Berlin hospital so could not be the mystery woman discovered in Hagley Wood in April 1943.

For details of Giselle’s discovery and a copy of the death registration please see her original blog post.

Maggie Tohill

Cataloguing Archivist

Comments

Comments are closed.

Related news

5th February 2026

Uncovering the Art of Ombersley Court, Part Two

From English country houses to dramatic naval battles and foreign lands, we continue our look at the Sandys family’s extraordinary art collection. Many of the pictures at Ombersley came to the Court through Letitia Baroness Sandys, while others were bought directly from artists or collected abroad. From views of Chatsworth House to Spanish bullfighting scenes...

4th February 2026

Uncovering the Art of Ombersley Court, Part One

From Old Master paintings to prints, ceramics and furniture, the Sandys family’s art collection tells a story of politics, personal taste and ancestry. For centuries, the Sandys family collected art, turning Ombersley Court into something as much like a gallery as a home. Whilst a number were commissioned or purchased directly from artists, others were...

23rd January 2026

What’s in a name?

Why Archaeologists No Longer Use the Term “Deviant Burial”- Evidence from Milestone Ground, Broadway In archaeology, terminology matters. The words we use shape how we interpret the past and how it is understood by the public. One term that is increasingly falling out of use is “deviant burial” – a description once commonly applied to...