Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson, (17 July 1913 – 30 October 1942), known as Tony Fasson, was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

officer. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross "for outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger" when on 30 October 1942 in action in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

he captured codebooks vital for the breaking of the German naval "Shark"

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

cipher from the sinking .

Biography

Fasson was born in the village of Lanton, Roxburghshire, the son of Francis Hamilton Fasson, a captain of the

Scottish Horse The Scottish Horse was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army's Territorial Army raised in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War. It saw heavy fighting in both the First World War, as the 13th Battalion, Black Watch, and in the Second World Wa ...

, and Lilias Clara Fasson (née Bruce). His uncle Robert Robertson Fasson RN was a commander in the

. Fasson was educated at Jedburgh Grammar School, and entered the

on 6 September 1930, serving aboard the battleship as a midshipman until June 1933. Promoted to acting- sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1933, he attended the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

and received promotion to sub-lieutenant on 16 May 1934, before being assigned to the light cruiser on 5 January 1935. On 15 September 1935 he was attached to the Royal Air Force with the temporary rank of flying officer to train as a pilot at the No. 1 Flying Training School, RAF Leuchars. He returned to the navy on 16 June 1936 and joined the minesweeping sloop on 18 July 1936, receiving promotion to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 16 September 1936. From 19 April 1937 he served aboard the escort vessel in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

, before joining the destroyer as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on 5 August 1938. Fasson was appointed first lieutenant of the destroyer on 20 July 1939, and saw action in her on 10 April 1940 during the

First Battle of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. ...

, after which he received a

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. In early 1941 Fasson was posted to , the naval headquarters in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, Egypt, finally returning to sea duty in March 1942 as first lieutenant of the destroyer .

Death

On 30 October 1942 ''Petard'', in conjunction with the destroyers and , the escort destroyers and , and an

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Sunderland flying boat The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East ...

of 47 Squadron based in Port Said, attacked and badly damaged the . The crew of the ''U-559'' abandoned their vessel, with 7 dead and 38 survivors. Fasson and Able Seaman

Colin Grazier Colin Grazier, GC (7 May 1920 – 30 October 1942) was a sailor in the Royal Navy who 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 1 ...

, along with

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs ...

canteen assistant Tommy Brown, jumped from the ''Petard'' to the deck of the ''U-559'' and entered the sinking submarine, which had water pouring in through

seacock A seacock is a valve on the hull of a boat or a ship, permitting water to flow into the vessel, such as for cooling an engine or for a salt water faucet; or out of the boat, such as for a sink drain or a toilet. Seacocks are often a Kingston val ...

s left open by the Germans. Working in complete darkness, fully aware that the submarine could sink without warning at any time, Fasson and Grazier located documents which Brown carried up to men in a

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

. They continued searching until the submarine suddenly foundered – "sank like a stone," drowning Fasson and Grazier; Brown survived. Fasson and Grazier were subsequently awarded the George Cross, while Brown received the

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in cir ...

. The awards were published in the '' London Gazette'' on 14 September 1943. The codebooks that Fasson, Grazier, and Brown retrieved were immensely valuable to the code-breakers at

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years followin ...

, who had been unable to read U-boat

for ten months. The captured material allowed them to read the cyphers for several weeks, and to break U-boat Enigma thereafter.

Memorials

Fasson is commemorated with plaques at Bedrule Kirk and the Jedburgh British Legion Club, while his George Cross is held by the Scottish

National War Museum The National War Museum is a museum dedicated to warfare, which is located inside Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. Opened in 1933 in a converted 18th-century ordnance storehouse, the museum is run by the National Museums Scotland and co ...

at Edinburgh Castle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fasson, Francis Anthony Blair 1913 births 1942 deaths People from the Scottish Borders People educated at Jedburgh Grammar School British recipients of the George Cross Royal Navy recipients of the George Cross Royal Navy personnel killed in World War II Royal Navy officers Royal Navy officers of World War II World War II espionage People educated at Stubbington House School Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Deaths by drowning Scottish military personnel