THE Government is coming under pressure to reveal details that could link Hull to one of the biggest mysteries of the Second World War. The "Man Who Never Was" is the name given to the body used in a spectacular plot to deceive the Germans over the invasion of Sicily in the Second World War.
But questions remain about the true identity of the man, who is credited with altering the course of the Second World War, with a growing belief that he could have hailed from Hull.
Hull East MP Karl Turner has set about trying to establish "beyond reasonable doubt" whether the "Man Who Never Was" was, in fact, Tommy Martin, whose home was in South Parade, Anlaby Road, Hull.
He said: "Many people in Hull want to know beyond reasonable doubt whether this man was Hull's Tommy Martin.
"If it was, then this man needs to be recognised and the role that he played in defending Britain properly commemorated.
"I have written to the Secretary of State for Defence asking for all information relating to this issue.
"I have asked for all documentation with regards to the investigation that was set up to establish the true identity of this man.
"If I think there is doubt, I will be urging the Government to reopen this investigation, to establish once and for all who this man was."
Tommy Martin was killed when a mystery explosion tore HMS Dasher apart in the Firth of Clyde on March 27, 1943, killing 379 of her crew, in what would be called one of the biggest catastrophes in British naval history. Although he was officially posted dead, his story may not have ended there.
For, 70 years after Dasher was lost, his name has been linked, by some researchers and historians, to one of the greatest deceptions ever carried out in wartime.
The "Man Who Never Was" was the popular name given to an operation, launched by British intelligence, to lead the Germans into believing that the Allies planned to invade Europe through Greece and Sardinia when, in fact, the real aim was to land in Sicily.
Officially code-named Operation Mincemeat, the plot to release a body from a submarine into the sea carrying "secret" documentation about the invasion fooled the Nazis and subsequently led to the saving of thousands of Allied lives, paving the way towards ending the war.
Ever since the body was put into the sea off Huelva, Southern Spain – the Germans were led to believe he was called Major William Martin – his identity has remained a matter of debate.
The most popular theory holds that Major Martin was a Welsh vagrant, Glyndwr Michael, 34, who had died after drinking rat poison.
But others maintain that, despite an official record released in 1998 naming "a Welsh tramp who had died in squalor", he was, in fact, Thomas J Martin, of Hull.
Tommy, as his family knew him, was the brother of Hazel Henrietta Condrun, who died in March this year in Scalby, near Scarborough.
Hazel's cousin, Jean Donkin, who lived with her husband John, 91, in Welland Road, Hull, died recently, the last surviving member of her family. Her husband John believes there is strong evidence to support the belief that the body washed up in Spain was that of Tommy Martin.
Mr Donkin said: "If the body was that of Tom Martin, then we in Hull should be proud of the fact and be prepared to honour him in some way."
Extract from Karl Turner's letter ...You may be familiar with the question of the unresolved identity of a body that was used to deceive the Germans during the Second World War, during Operation Mincemeat.
Under Operation Mincemeat, the body was used to carry fake invasion plans and was set adrift off the coast of Spain, knowing the documents would fall into Nazi hands.
The true identity of this man has never been established beyond all doubt and I would like to ask for any documentation that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) holds on this issue.
I understand that an official document was released in 1998, naming the man as a welsh tramp who had died in squalor.
However, many people in Hull believe this man to be a sailor called Thomas J Martin, of Hull, known by his family as Tommy, who died in 1943, while serving on HMS Dasher.
I would request that you provide me with any documents relating to the investigation that was held to establish the true identity of this body.
