35. Finding a Corpse
Securing a body for Operation Mincemeat was harder than initially imagined. There was no shortage of bodies in wartime London, but there was also no shortage of legal and practical difficulties in securing one. As a coroner informed British intelligence, each body had to be accounted for. However, he promised to keep an eye out for a suitable corpse: one without relatives who would claim it for burial.
In late January, 1943, a homeless drifter named Glyndwr Michael died of rat poison, and his body arrived in the morgue. As he had no known relatives, Glyndwr’s cadaver was perfect for the planned deception. As an intelligence officer uncharitably put it, Glyndwr was “a ne’er-do-well” and “the only worthwhile thing that he ever did he did after his death“. The body was kept in a mortuary, awaiting the go-ahead. Papers identifying him as Royal Marines “Major William Martin” were prepared. Personal touch documents were added, such as a fictitious sweetheart, receipt for an engagement ring, a letter from his dad, plus a demand from Lloyds Bank that he take care of an overdraft.