This news item was reported in The Times on 17th August 1914.
The cases of spying ranged from being suspicious around Belfast Docks with a knowledge of submarines, to considering oneself to be English having lived in England for a number of year. Although the exact details of the case is not know, 3 months hard labour for not registering himself, seems a bit excess for Wilhelm Stiewe.
"German Spies in England
Order to London Police.
That the search for German spies in England is being actively continued was shown again on Saturday by the number of charges before the magistrates in various parts of the country. Orders have been issued to the Metropolitan Police to proceed on and after today to enforce the provisions of the Aliens Restriction Order in Council against all German subjects who have not registered themselves according to the terms of the order.
At Old Street Police Court Wiliiam HAEK was charged with failing to register. The prisoner was arrested at the headquarters of the Royal Engineers Territorial Regiment, Victoria Park Square. He admitted that he was a German subject and had not registered himself, saying that he did not think the order applied to him as he had been 25 years in England. He was at the time in the uniform of a sergeant of the regiment and said he had been in a Volunteer corps in England for 20 years. A captain of the Engineers said that this was a fact and gave the prisoner a very good character. Mr. Chester Jones remanded the prisoner for a week.
At Belfast John ROCKMANN, stated to be a German subject, was committed for trial on a charge of having been found at Belfast Docks for the purpose of prejudicial to the State. The Crown Solicitor said he believed Rockmann was a Bachelor of Science at London University. Since January he had been employed in the drawing shop of Messers. Harland and Wolfe and before that he was in the submarine department of Messers. Vickers, Son and Maxim.
At Bridgwater Henry HANNACK, a German subject, was remanded on a charge of failing to register himself. The prisoner said he liked to regard himself as an Englishman. He hoped that England would be successful in the war and that the German Emperor would lose his throne.
A well dressed German, named Wilhelm STIEWE, a traveller, of Southampton. was sentenced by Matlock magistrates to three months hard labour for failing to register.
A correspondent informs us that the German pastor at Forest Hill, Herr Goehling, has been detained by the police."
1 comment:
Around that time a man was shot outside Edinburgh for not answering the TA guards call. At least he did not answer it correctly!
In Dunfermline a cry went out 'SPY!' as a man was seen on top of the Post Office at the telegraph wires. The police were called and the army turned out.
He was the repair man putting the wires back together but he almost got shot! The panic was understandable as a book published pre war told a story of 50,000 spies in the UK!
There were around a couple of dozen real spies from what I could make out.
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