UNSOLVED: Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?
In the heart of England during the chaos of World War II, a mystery unfolded that remains unsolved to this day. It began with the discovery of a woman's remains hidden within an old wych elm tree in Hagley Wood. Known as "Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?", this case has puzzled investigators and the public alike with its eerie questions and the absence of clear answers.
On April 18, 1943, four young boys, out in the woods of Hagley to poach eggs, stumbled upon a large wych elm tree. Peering inside, they were shocked to find a human skull staring back at them. Frightened by their discovery and the illegal nature of their activity, they initially kept quiet. However, the youngest boy, unable to shake off what he had seen, confided in his parents, who then informed the police.
When the police investigated, they uncovered a nearly complete skeleton within the tree, along with a shoe, a gold wedding ring, and scraps of clothing. A hand was found buried nearby. The remains were identified as those of a woman, estimated to be around 35 years old, who had died about 18 months prior, placing her time of death around October 1941. A piece of taffeta fabric in her mouth led investigators to believe she had been suffocated.
The ongoing Second World War hampered efforts to identify the woman or how she ended up inside the tree. With no leads or clues to her identity, the case turned cold. It gained its name from graffiti that began to appear in the area, asking, "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" The first of these messages was found on a wall in the nearby town of Old Hill, and similar graffiti has appeared sporadically ever since, even as recently as 2016.
Theories about who Bella was and how she met her fate abound. Some suggested she was a German spy named Clara Bauerle, thought to have vanished around the same time Bella would have died. However, this theory was dismissed when it was confirmed that Clara died in Berlin a year after Bella's estimated time of death. Others believed Bella could have been a local sex worker or a refugee hiding in the woods during a German bombing raid, but these theories also led nowhere.
Another line of speculation posited that Bella was caught up in espionage, potentially linked to a Dutch spy ring, a theory stemming from letters sent by a woman claiming Bella was a Dutch spy. Yet, this too resulted in no concrete evidence. Local rumors even suggested Bella could have been murdered by travelers or was part of a community that turned on her, though these ideas lacked credible proof.
A more outlandish theory proposed by folklore researcher Margaret Murray suggested Bella's murder might have had occult significance, possibly relating to a "Hand of Glory" – a talisman made from the hand of a hanged man, believed to have magical properties. This theory, while intriguing, is speculative at best.
To this day, the identity of Bella and the circumstances of her death remain a mystery. The case of "Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?" continues to fascinate and perplex, a haunting tale of war, mystery, and an unsolved crime that lingers in the English countryside.
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