My Father, the Man Who Never Was. Nicholas Reed.

Ronnie Reed joined MI5 in 1940. He became the case officer for Agent Zigzag and other double-agents during the Second World War. After Eddie Chapman (alias Zigzag) was given the Iron Cross by Hitler, Eddie handed it to Ronnie, in tribute to his skills in running his case. Ronnie was also the real face behind Operation MINCEMEAT, because his photo matched the face of the body used to trick the Germans in 1943. But how did this young man, with no money and minimal qualifications, reach such an important position in his twenties? How, within ten years, did Ronnie find himself a spy-catcher, heading the anti-Russian department of MI5, and dealing with notorious spies like Philby, Burgess and Maclean? Or indeed Sir Anthony Blunt, the eminent art historian, whose treachery was only publicly revealed in 1979? For the last 35 years of his life, Ronnie lived in Dulwich, London. In an interview filmed in Dulwich in 1994, shortly before Ronnie’s death, his son Nicholas learnt his story in detail. In his talk, Nicholas quotes from the interview and fills in the background, with some of Ronnie’s wartime reports only recently released from the National Archives. The talk is illustrated with photos, most of them from private family archives.
Admission
Tickets are FREE but must be booked in advance by telephoning: 020 7730 0717 or email: vs@nam.ac.uk. Bookings close three days before each lecture. All talks take place at the Army & Navy Club at 12.30pm.

Website
http://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/lunchtime-lectures/my-father-man-who-never-was

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//se000573?id=EVENT513368