Jessie Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jessie Jordan
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| Born | 23 December 1887 Glasgow, Scotland
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| Died | 1954 (aged 66–67) Hamburg, West Germany
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| Nationality | British and German |
| Occupation | Hairdresser |
| Known for | Spying for Germany |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
Jessie Jordan (born 23 December 1887 – died 1954) was a Scottish hairdresser. She was found guilty of spying for Germany just before World War II. She worked for the Abwehr, which was Germany's military intelligence group. Jessie had married a German man who died fighting in World War I. Later, she became a spy in Scotland. After the war, she was sent to prison and then deported back to Germany.
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Early Life in Scotland and Germany
Jessie Jordan was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1887. Her mother, Elizabeth Wallace, was a domestic servant. Jessie later said her father left her mother to go to Canada, but his name isn't on her birth certificate. Her mother married John Haddow, and they had five more children. For a while, Jessie lived with her mother and stepfather in Lanark and then in Craigie, Perth. By 1901, she was using her stepfather's last name, Haddow.
When she was 16, Jessie left home. She worked as a maid in different towns in Scotland and England. In 1907, she met Frederick Jordan, a German waiter. They married in 1912. Jessie lived mostly in Germany until 1937, becoming a German citizen when she married. She briefly returned to Perth in 1919 after her husband was killed in World War I in 1918. In 1920, she went back to Germany. There, she married Baur Bamgarten, who was her first husband's cousin. This marriage ended in divorce by 1937, and she returned to Scotland.
Jessie had two children: a son named Werner Tillkes and a daughter named Marga. Marga became an actress and singer. She married Hermann Wobrock, a merchant from Hamburg.
Why Jessie Returned to Scotland
Several reasons explain why Jessie Jordan decided to move back to Scotland. Her marriage had ended. She also felt like she didn't fully belong in either Scotland or Germany. Her lawyer later suggested that her last name, Jordan, had a "Jewish meaning" in Germany.
Also, the hairdressing business Jessie ran in Hamburg was struggling. This was partly because many of her customers were Jewish, and the Nazis' New Order was making life difficult for Jewish people. Another reason for her move was related to her daughter, Marga. When Marga tried to restart her acting career, German authorities demanded proof that her mother's family was "Aryan" (a term used by the Nazis to describe people they considered racially pure). In July 1937, Jessie told the Glasgow Police that she was returning to Scotland to reconnect with her family and find this proof for Marga.
Jessie's Spy Activities
Once back in Scotland, Jessie Jordan opened a hairdressing business in Dundee. She spent a lot of money making her new shop look nice. By this time, she had already been recruited by the Abwehr, Germany's military intelligence. It's not completely clear why she agreed to become a spy.
One idea is that she felt a connection to Germany, which had been her home for many years. Jessie claimed that she had spent so much time in Germany that she no longer spoke English very well. She also said later that she was ordered to spy for Germany and that she "had no passion for any country." Other possible reasons include money or even blackmail. A newspaper reporting on her trial, The Dundee Courier, suggested that she didn't spy out of love for Germany or hatred for Britain, or even just for money. It seemed she was chosen by agents who knew her past and could pressure her to do what they wanted.
An MI5 (British intelligence) officer thought Jessie was new to spying. Her hairdressing business became what MI5 called a "post box." This meant German agents already in the United States would send packages and letters to her shop. Jessie would then forward these to other agents in Amsterdam. From there, the information would be sent to the Abwehr headquarters. Jessie was also found with maps of Scotland and Northern England that showed important military locations. During her trial, she claimed she was only confirming information that German authorities already had.
Jessie's activities were discovered by Mary Curran, a cleaner at the salon. Mary found maps in the shop and reported them to the Dundee police, who then contacted MI5. MI5 was already watching Jessie, but they didn't know about her Dundee shop. Because of Mary's report, the salon's address on Kinloch Street was added to a mail watch. This led to the discovery of secret mail from the United States. This mail showed, among other things, a plan against a United States Army officer named Henry Eglin.
Arrest and Imprisonment
Jessie Jordan was arrested on 2 March 1938. She was found guilty of spying and, in May 1939, was sentenced to four years in prison. She was first sent to Saughton Prison. While there, she became unwell and had an operation. When World War II began, she was moved to Aberdeen Prison.
Jessie's time in prison also affected her daughter, Marga. Even though Marga married Tom Reid from Glasgow, she struggled financially and died in January 1939. During her imprisonment, Jessie was described by her lawyer as "a model prisoner." He noted that she showed off her needlework and didn't seem sad. Because of her good behavior, Jessie was released early in 1941. However, she was immediately arrested again and held as an "enemy alien" (someone from a country at war with Britain). She remained held for the rest of the war. After the war ended, she was sent back to Germany. Jessie Jordan died in Hamburg in 1954, when she was 66 or 67 years old.
Impact on World War II
Jessie Jordan's capture helped uncover a German spy in the USA, known as 'Agent Crown'. MI5 shared information about him with US authorities. This led to the discovery of a spy network in the USA that included eighteen agents and many helpers. Due to some mistakes by an FBI investigator, most of the spy ring managed to escape. However, the trial of those who were caught in 1938 made the American public much more against Nazi Germany. Some believe that this anti-Nazi feeling in America influenced Japan's decision to bomb Pearl Harbor. It may also have led Germany to quickly join the war as Japan's ally.
