Daily Mirror interviews author of The Real Enigma Heroes for WW2 bravery story

The Daily Mirror interviewed Phil Shanahan, Enigma Communications’ managing editor, for a centre-page spread about the heroic actions of a teenage canteen assistant during WW2.

Canteen assistant Tommy Brown who helped retrieve enemy codebooks from a sinking German U-boat.
Canteen assistant Tommy Brown who helped retrieve enemy codebooks from a sinking German U-boat.

Phil, who wrote about the exploits of Tommy Brown in his book, The Real Enigma Heroes, was quoted in the feature, explaining the significance of the youngster’s courage.

Tommy boarded a sinking German submarine along with two of his crewmates from HMS Petard to retrieve top secret enemy codebooks. Lieutenant Tony Fasson and Able Seaman Colin Grazier perished in the action, but not before managing to locate the material and pass it to Brown.

The information contained in the books enabled Bletchley Park’s codebreakers to finally crack the German’s naval Enigma communications system. This allowed the Allies to identify the positions of the deadly U-boats destroying their supply ships in the Atlantic, saving countless lives and shortening the war.

Tragically, Brown also lost his life two years later in a house fire.

Read the full story here

*The Real Enigma Heroes is available from Amazon and all good bookshops. To order a signed copy visit the Enigma Book section of this website.

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