OPERATION MINCEMEAT Musical Honors Glyndwr Michael in Cardiff with Memorial

Breaking news to your phone. US mobile only. No password required.

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

SpitLip's writers and composers unveiled the bench in Alexandra Gardens alongside local and military choirs.

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for UK Regional & beyond. No password required.

Operation Mincemeat, the Tony and double Olivier Award-winning musical, yesterday honoured Glyndwr Michael, the homeless Welshman whose body was used to create the fictional 'Major William Martin ' in one of the most audacious deceptions of the Second World War, with a special performance and the unveiling of a memorial bench in Cardiff's Alexandra Gardens.

Get all the top news & discounts for UK Regional & beyond.

The touring cast and creative team were joined by a specially formed choir made up of local and military community volunteers, including Cardiff Military Wives Choir, Cowbridge Male Voice Choir, St Patrick's Church Choir and Choir for Good for a special rendition of Sail On, Boys, the song from the musical accompanying Glyndwr's body as it is carried aboard HMS Seraph towards Spain.

Following the performance, David Cumming , one quarter of SpitLip, the writers and composers of Operation Mincemeat, unveiled a bench dedicated to Glyndwr's memory in Alexandra Gardens, home to the Welsh National War Memorial.

David Cumming said: "Glyndwr Michael is at the heart of the true story of Operation Mincemeat, yet his own identity was almost lost behind the legend of Major William Martin . We wanted to honour him not just for the part his body played in the deception, but to recognise that he had a life and family of his own. To have this bench here in Cardiff, alongside the Welsh National War Memorial and in his home country, means a great deal to us. We hope it will help people remember Glyndwr and the part he played in Operation Mincemeat"

Operation Mincemeat is widely known for the extraordinary deception that helped pave the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily. In 1943, British intelligence officers used the body of the recently deceased man and created an elaborate false identity for him: Major William Martin , a Royal Marines officer carrying secret documents suggesting that the Allies intended to invade Greece rather than Sicily.

The body was transported by submarine to Spain, where the planted documents were recovered and ultimately passed to German intelligence. The deception contributed to German forces diverting troops towards Greece and Sardinia rather than concentrating them in Sicily, helping make the Allied invasion less perilous, and turning the tide of World War II.

For more than 50 years, the identity of the man behind ' William Martin ' remained a secret. In 1996, historian Roger Morgan uncovered his identity in previously secret government records.

He was Glyndwr Michael, born in Aberbargoed, South Wales, in 1909. Glyndwr left the Welsh valleys for London during the hardship of the 1930s. He eventually fell into poverty and died in 1943, aged just 34, after being found seriously ill in an abandoned warehouse near King's Cross.

His body was taken from a London morgue and transformed into 'Major William Martin ', complete with a fictional identity and carefully planted personal possessions - including love letters, a photograph of his supposed fiancée and a receipt for a diamond engagement ring.

For decades, much of what was known about Glyndwr Michael came from the wartime intelligence files surrounding Operation Mincemeat. But a recent investigation by The Telegraph's Patrick Sawer has shed new light on the man behind the legend, tracing his surviving family in South Wales and revealing family memories of Glyndwr sending money home from London to help his sister Gladys raise her son Dennis.

A surviving member of Glyndwr's family will attend one of the musical's performances in Wales, with the production at the New Theatre, Cardiff, until 19th September 2026, followed by Swansea Grand Theatre from 21st -26th September 2026.

Today, Glyndwr is buried in Huelva, Spain, beneath a gravestone which reads:

'Glyndwr Michael Served as Major William Martin , RM'

The new memorial in Cardiff gives him a place of remembrance in the country where he was born.

The tribute also reflects Operation Mincemeat's commitment to remembering the real people whose lives became part of the wartime story. In 2023, the show's devoted fan community helped uncover the previously little-known history of MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt, tracing her life and wartime service through extensive archival research. Their discoveries were subsequently confirmed by MI5 and led to a plaque being unveiled in her honour. Earlier in 2026, the production also paid tribute in the United States to American pilot Willie 'Bill' Watkins, the only American featured in the musical, unveiling a replica of the P-39 Bell Airacobra he flew as part of Fleet Week and America250.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

BALLET SHOES National Theatre Tour to Begin August 2027 with Anton Du Beke

LARRY Will Premiere at Salisbury Playhouse in February

THE TRIAL OF ROMEO OSCAR is Now Playing at Stephen Joseph Theatre

WHEN THE BLACKBIRD SINGS to Premiere at Schwarzman Centre

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time Chloe Rabinowitz Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news & show discounts. No password required.

Breaking alerts by text. US mobile only.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/OPERATION-MINCEMEAT-Honors-Glyndwr-Michael-In-Cardiff-20260916)._