Mayor among visitors to The Real Enigma Heroes exhibition at Tamworth Heritage Day
An exhibition mounted by Enigma Communications managing editor Phil Shanahan was one of the main attractions at a Midlands history event.
The display at the Tamworth Heritage Day included photographs and newspaper cuttings charting the story of a 10-year campaign to honour three men who helped the Allies to victory over the Nazis.
Among the visitors was the Mayor of Tamworth, Councillor John Chesworth, who spoke to Phil about the campaign he led to gain public recognition for Lieutenant Tony Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier and a teenage NAAFI canteen assistant, Tommy Brown.
Grazier, from Tamworth and Lt Fasson drowned after boarding a sinking U-boat to capture valuable enemy codebooks which led to the British winning the Battle of the Atlantic, a victory Churchill described as crucial to the outcome of the Second World War.
Brown survived after having passed the material to a waiting boat. Tragically he died in a house fire two years after the action in October 1942. His five-year-old sister also perished in the blaze.
Phil, who discovered the story after it was kept secret for years, also signed copies of his book, The Real Enigma Heroes, during the day and posed for pictures with characters from Tamworth’s past, including one of Sir Robert Peel’s Bobbies and two peasants from medieval times.
The Mayor and Mayoress opened their parlour to visitors and there were also displays by Tamworth and District Civic Society, Friends of Tamworth Castle, the town’s twinning association and the Tamworth Herald. The event, aimed at giving people an insight into Tamworth’s rich history, was held in the 18th century town hall.