Film Screening!
Friday 4th August 2017, 8pm | Stourbridge Town Hall
BACKGROUND
On 18 April, 1943, four teenage boys from Stourbridge were in Hagley Wood poaching. They came upon an old hollow wych elm tree, and decided to search for birds nests. As one of the boys climbed up and glanced down inside the hollow trunk he suddenly saw the empty eye-sockets of a whitened skull. On further examination a womans skeleton was uncovered.
One of her hands had been removed and was buried close by, later examinations revealed she had recently given birth.
Over 70 years later we STILL do not know the poor womans true identity OR the identity of the killer.
Hagley Wood has a history of occult practises
but how macabre could it be?
and why was it buried nearby?
WITCHCRAFT?
At the time of the murder it was believed that the woman had been sacrificed by a cult in an act of Witchcraft after birthing the child of Satan.As far fetched as this sounds, there is strong evidence to support it the idea of a ritualised killing.
ESPIONAGE?
The second possible theory is that she was a Nazi spy operating in the Midlands. Again, there is STRONG evidence to support this theory, including the involvement of MI5 and confessions from known secret agents prior to execution.
We discuss the evidence to support this theory
A beautiful, ancient and deadly place
Actors depicting the undercover exchange of money between 2 of our main suspects
THE GRAFFITI
In 1943 a series of graffiti messages began appearing on walls in the local area naming the woman as "Bella".
Police believed they were all written by the SAME HAND, working at night.
Who wrote them - and what they knew - is still unknown.
