The homeless Welshman whose body became ‘Major William Martin’ in the audacious WWII deception is remembered with a special performance and memorial bench
“[Operation Mincemeat] swerves into heartfelt sincerity — and somehow honours these quiet heroes, whose pivotal deeds were kept secret, as well as (in a beautiful climactic moment) the man who gave his life for his country: the borrowed corpse, Glyndwr Michael.”
Marianka Swain, London Theatre
“Amid the mayhem, it’s touching to see the actors pay homage to the memory of the homeless man, Glyndwr Michael.”
Clive Davis, The Times
“The show achieves a level of poignancy… particularly in its respectful commemoration of Glyndwr Michael, the man whose body was used in the operation.”James Ballands, British Theatre Guide
“The respect given to Glyndwr Michael was what made this musical truly brilliant.”
Lizzie Loveridge, WWReviews
Operation Mincemeat, the Tony and double Olivier Award®-winning musical, yesterday honoured Glyndwr Michael, the homeless Welshman whose body was used to create the fictional ‘Major William Martin’ in one of the most audacious deceptions of the Second World War, with a special performance and the unveiling of a memorial bench in Cardiff’s Alexandra Gardens.
The touring cast and creative team were joined by a specially formed choir made up of local and military community volunteers, including Cardiff Military Wives Choir, Cowbridge Male Voice Choir, St Patrick’s Church Choir and Choir for Good for a special rendition of Sail On, Boys, the song from the musical accompanying Glyndwr’s body as it is carried aboard HMS Seraph towards Spain.
Following the performance, David Cumming, one quarter of SpitLip, the writers and composers of Operation Mincemeat, unveiled a bench dedicated to Glyndwr’s memory in Alexandra Gardens, home to the Welsh National War Memorial.
David Cumming said: “Glyndwr Michael is at the heart of the true story of Operation Mincemeat, yet his own identity was almost lost behind the legend of Major William Martin. We wanted to honour him not just for the part his body played in the deception, but to recognise that he had a life and family of his own. To have this bench here in Cardiff, alongside the Welsh National War Memorial and in his home country, means a great deal to us. We hope it will help people remember Glyndwr and the part he played in Operation Mincemeat.”
LINK TO FULL DOWNLOADABLE VIDEO AND IMAGE HERE
Operation Mincemeat is widely known for the extraordinary deception that helped pave the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily. In 1943, British intelligence officers used the body of the recently deceased man and created an elaborate false identity for him: Major William Martin, a Royal Marines officer carrying secret documents suggesting that the Allies intended to invade Greece rather than Sicily.
The body was transported by submarine to Spain, where the planted documents were recovered and ultimately passed to German intelligence. The deception contributed to German forces diverting troops towards Greece and Sardinia rather than concentrating them in Sicily, helping make the Allied invasion less perilous, and turning the tide of World War II.
For more than 50 years, the identity of the man behind ‘William Martin’ remained a secret. In 1996, historian Roger Morgan uncovered his identity in previously secret government records.
He was Glyndwr Michael, born in Aberbargoed, South Wales, in 1909.
Glyndwr left the Welsh valleys for London during the hardship of the 1930s. He eventually fell into poverty and died in 1943, aged just 34, after being found seriously ill in an abandoned warehouse near King’s Cross.
His body was taken from a London morgue and transformed into ‘Major William Martin’, complete with a fictional identity and carefully planted personal possessions – including love letters, a photograph of his supposed fiancée and a receipt for a diamond engagement ring.
For decades, much of what was known about Glyndwr Michael came from the wartime intelligence files surrounding Operation Mincemeat. But a recent investigation by The Telegraph’s Patrick Sawer has shed new light on the man behind the legend, tracing his surviving family in South Wales and revealing family memories of Glyndwr sending money home from London to help his sister Gladys raise her son Dennis.
A surviving member of Glyndwr’s family will attend one of the musical’s performances in Wales, with the production at the New Theatre, Cardiff, until 19th September 2026, followed by Swansea Grand Theatre from 21st –26th September 2026.
Today, Glyndwr is buried in Huelva, Spain, beneath a gravestone which reads:
“Glyndwr Michael
Served as Major William Martin, RM”
The new memorial in Cardiff gives him a place of remembrance in the country where he was born.
The tribute also reflects Operation Mincemeat’s commitment to remembering the real people whose lives became part of the wartime story. In 2023, the show’s devoted fan community helped uncover the previously little-known history of MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt, tracing her life and wartime service through extensive archival research. Their discoveries were subsequently confirmed by MI5 and led to a plaque being unveiled in her honour. Earlier in 2026, the production also paid tribute in the United States to American pilot Willie “Bill” Watkins, the only American featured in the musical, unveiling a replica of the P-39 Bell Airacobra he flew as part of Fleet Week and America250.