Person    | Male  Born 19/3/1901  Died 19/7/1985

Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu

Categories: Armed Forces

Montagu and Charles Cholmondely conceived the idea behind Operation Mincemeat and carried it out.

Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu was a British judge, Naval intelligence officer and author. Born into a British Jewish family. Was a machine gun instructor in the States during WW1. Joined the navy for WW2 and became Lieutenant Commander in Naval Intelligence.

After the war Montagu documented the story in the book The Man Who Never Was (1953). In 1956 this was made into a film, produced by his brother Ivor.

Ewen Edwin Samuel Montagu was the second of Baron Swaythling's three sons, and born in to a massively wealthy Jewish banking family. Erenow describes Montagu's extremely privileged upbringing at 28 Kensington Court. While at Cambridge he and his brothers invented table tennis (Wikipedia does not support this origin story). Erenow gives an account of Montagu's life after the war: he was appointed OBE and returned to the law. Appointed judge advocate of the fleet, in 1945 he was put in charge of the Royal Navy's court-martial system.  He also served as a judge in which role he was apt to make inappropriate jokes. Became president of the United Synagogue.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu

Commemorated ati

Operation Mincemeat

The Biblical quotation draws attention to the secrecy which was essential to ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Biggin Hill Royal Air Force Station

Biggin Hill Royal Air Force Station

The airfield was originally opened by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. At first it was used for wireless experiments, but was then established as part of the London Air Defence Area, resp...

Place, Armed Forces, Aviation

2 memorials
F. H. Ings

F. H. Ings

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
W. J. Knowles

W. J. Knowles

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
Private Charles James Rooke

Private Charles James Rooke

Charles James Rooke was born on 22 April 1894 at 15 St Marks Road, Kennington, London, one of the ten children of James Rooke (1845-1899) and Emma Eliza Rooke née Thorn (1852-1929). His birth was r...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
A. Dibden

A. Dibden

Resident of the Central Ward, Hendon who served and died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Beresford Pite

Beresford Pite

Architect.  Born, Arthur Beresford Pite, 9 South Terrace, Grosvenor Park, Walworth. London buildings: 30 Euston Square the original building with the Melton Street frontage - HQ of an assurance co...

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
William Bishop
War dead, WW2
1 memorial
First Dutch church, Austin Friars

First Dutch church, Austin Friars

The original Austin Friars monestery dates from about 1250. In 1550 Edward VI granted Protestant refugees from the Netherlands permission to establish a church here, the first Dutch Protestant chur...

Building, Religion, Netherlands

2 memorials
Railway deaths

Railway deaths

NW1, Euston Square

At the eastern entrance to the garden in front of Euston Station.

3 subjects commemorated, 3 creators