Colin Grazier
| Colin Grazier | |
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| Birth Name | Colin Grazier |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | May 7, 1920 |
| Place of Birth | Tamworth, Staffs, England |
| Died | October 30, 1942 |
He played a significant part in the cracking of the Enigma code that helped turn the tide of the war.Colin Grazier was born in Two Gates on May 7th 1920 and grew up in the family home on Watling Street. The son of Colin and Margaret Grazier.Colin Grazier married a girl from Kingsbury called Olive. Enlisting in the Royal Navy, he served on HMS Petard, a Class P Destroyer that was launched on March 27th 1941.
By the time HMS Petard had taken to the sea, heavy losses to the merchant fleet had been reduced through the strategic use of information garnered from electronic messages sent from German transmitters. With Polish secret agents supplying three M3 Enigma machines, the British had successfully deciphered messages sent through these devices. However, in February 1942 the German Navy upgraded to the M4 Enigma which utilised a Umkehrwalze and a set of eight rotors, three of which were fitted in the Enigma at any one time. The impact on the codebreakers at Bletchley Park was the equivalent of radio silence and German U-Boats were able to move around the seas virtually undetected.
A breakthrough came in October 1942, when a reconnaissance flight by a Sunderland Flying Boat from RAF 47 Squadron reported visual contact with a German submarine in the Mediterranean. Royal Navy destroyers, including HMS Petard, went after the U-Boat and, following a sustained depth charge attack, forced U-559 to the surface north of Port Said. The German submarine crew under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Heidtmann surrendered as the stricken U-559 was on the verge of sinking.
After a request for volunteers on HMS Petard, Lieutenant Anthony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier swam across to the submarine in a bid to capture anything that would be invaluable to the war effort. They were followed by Tommy Brown, a 16 year old canteen assistant, who was in a small craft. After climbing down the U-Boat’s conning tower, Fasson and Grazier were amazed to find that Kapitänleutnant Hans Heidtmann had not thrown the submarine’s M4 Enigma machine into the sea. Moreover, the pair – by now knee-deep in water – also found the accompanying codebook which was printed with water-soluble ink on water-soluble paper.
Fasson and Grazier brought the spoils to the surface and handed them to Tommy Brown before returning below deck in search of further vital documents. However, the vessel suddenly listed and, despite the warning cries from Tommy Brown, the gallant mariners failed to climb out before the U-Boat plunged beneath the waves.
The M4 Enigma machine and documents retrieved from U-559 were taken to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park who, in December 1942, successfully cracked the cipher. As a direct result of the actions of Anthony Fasson, Colin Grazier and Tommy Brown, millions of tons of Allied shipping and thousands of Allied lives were saved. Moreover, the successful code breaking is thought to have brought an earlier end to the war.
Resolute bureaucratic regulations meant that Lieutenant Anthony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier were barred from receiving the Victoria Cross award on the grounds that their actions did not take place under enemy fire. However, it is thought that such an award would have alerted German Intelligence to the magnitude of their brave undertaking. Fasson and Grazier were however posthumously awarded the George Cross. Tommy Brown was awarded the George Medal but he died tragically in 1945 when attempting to rescue his sisters from a house fire.
Colin Grazier Memorial standing in the Church Square in Tamworth. Colin was responsible, along with others, for recovering the codes used to decipher the Enigma code machine in WW2. Detailed text of the memorial here:
Colin Grazier, 1920-1942
This memorial is dedicated to Able Seaman Colin Grazier of Two Gates, Tamworth, who gave his life recovering vital Enigma Codes from a sinking German U-boat.
His extraordinary bravery, together with that of Lt Tony Fasson and Tommy Brown, all of HMS Petard, changed the course of WWII, saving countless lives worldwide.
While undoubtedly one of the World’s greatest war heroes, Grazier was also one of the least known. Details of his actions remained secret for decades depriving him of the true recognition he so richly deserved. This tribute was erected in the year 2002 following a campaign in the Tamworth Herald which attracted worldwide interest.
It was made possible with the support of local ex-service and civic organisations.
Erected in memory of all Tamworth people who died for their country.
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