Francis Anthony Blair Fasson
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson RN was posthumously awarded the George Cross
for the "for outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger" he displayed on the 30 October 1942 in action in the Mediterranean.
Able Seaman Colin Grazier
RN also won the George Cross for the courage that he displayed during the same incident. The destroyer on which they served, HMS Petard
, attacked and badly damaged the German U Boat U-559
, in conjunction with the destroyers Pakenham and Hero
, the escort destroyers Dulverton
and Hurworth, and an RAF Sunderland flying boat of 47 squadron based in Port Said
. The crew of the U-559 surrendered and was taken off with no casualties. Fasson and Grazier, along with NAAFI canteen assistant Tommy Brown, swam naked to the U-559 and entered the sinking submarine in complete darkness to capture instruments and documentation, fully aware that the submarine could sink without warning at any time. Grazier and Fasson continued to search for and hand over documents and equipment until suddenly the submarine "sank like a stone," drowning them both. The awards were published in the London Gazette
on 14 September 1943. Fasson was born on 17 July 1913, educated at Jedburgh Grammar School
and died aged 29.
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
for the "for outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger" he displayed on the 30 October 1942 in action in the Mediterranean.
Able Seaman Colin Grazier
Colin Grazier
Able Seaman Colin Grazier was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the "outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger" which he displayed on 30 October 1942 in action in the Mediterranean.-WW2 heroics:...
RN also won the George Cross for the courage that he displayed during the same incident. The destroyer on which they served, HMS Petard
HMS Petard (G56)
HMS Petard was a "P"-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was one of the three "P" class ships, out of the original eight, to survive the war in a serviceable condition....
, attacked and badly damaged the German U Boat U-559
Unterseeboot 559
German submarine U-559 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.Built in 1941 at the Blohm & Voss shipyards in Hamburg, she was most famous for an incident during her sinking in the Mediterranean Sea in 1942, in which British sailors seized...
, in conjunction with the destroyers Pakenham and Hero
HMS Hero (H99)
HMS Hero was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet...
, the escort destroyers Dulverton
HMS Dulverton (L63)
HMS Dulverton was a Type II Hunt class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1941, she saw service during the Second World War until being damaged by German aircraft in 1943 during the Battle of Leros, and was scuttled....
and Hurworth, and an RAF Sunderland flying boat of 47 squadron based in Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
. The crew of the U-559 surrendered and was taken off with no casualties. Fasson and Grazier, along with NAAFI canteen assistant Tommy Brown, swam naked to the U-559 and entered the sinking submarine in complete darkness to capture instruments and documentation, fully aware that the submarine could sink without warning at any time. Grazier and Fasson continued to search for and hand over documents and equipment until suddenly the submarine "sank like a stone," drowning them both. The awards were published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 14 September 1943. Fasson was born on 17 July 1913, educated at Jedburgh Grammar School
Jedburgh Grammar School
Jedburgh Grammar School is a state secondary school in Jedburgh, Scotland, with around 440 pupils, 40 teaching staff, and 15 non-teaching staff.-Architecture:...
and died aged 29.