Nigel de Grey
Encyclopedia
Nigel de Grey CMG, OBE, British
codebreaker
. Son of the rector of Copdock
, Suffolk, and grandson of the 5th Lord Walsingham
, he was educated at Eton College
and became fluent in French and German. In 1907 he joined the publishing firm of William Heinemann
. He married in 1910. As he was shy and physically small, a colleague labelled him 'the door mouse'.
. In early 1915 he was transferred to Naval Intelligence Division, Room 40
codebreaking section. He and Reverend William Montgomery
decrypted the Zimmermann Telegram
on 17 January 1917. The Zimmermann Telegram was from the German
foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann
to the German ambassador Heinrich von Eckardt
in Mexico
, telling him to offer the Mexican government the return of the states of Arizona, Texas and New Mexico as an inducement to Mexico to side with Germany against the United States. The public disclosure of this secret Mexican-German pact would help bring the US into World War I
. De Grey was promoted and assigned to run the NID's Mediterranean section, liaise with the director of Italian naval intelligence and focus on Austrian cipher traffic.
, Nigel de Grey was assigned to Bletchley Park
where he concentrated on German traffic encrypted on the Enigma cipher machine
. In September 1941 he provided a report to the Prime Minister
with the first references from German authorities to their own police battalions systematically levelling villages and removing their populations. One signal boasted of 30,000 executions 'in the central area'. Following a warning made in a speech to parliament by Churchill, a German circular in October 1941 cautioned that no further references to 'sensitive operations' should be made on wireless channels.
After World War II, he remained with GC&CS, which was renamed GCHQ, eventually becoming a deputy director and led a team working on Soviet cable traffic. He retired in 1951 but died a very short time later of a heart-attack in Oxford Street
, London. His wife survived him.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
codebreaker
Codebreaker
Codebreaker may refer to:*A person who performs cryptanalysis*The Codebreakers, a 1967 book on history of cryptography by David Kahn*Codebreaker , a 1981 puzzle-based computer game, originally released for the Atari 2600...
. Son of the rector of Copdock
Copdock
Copdock is a small settlement in Suffolk, England. It is southwest of Ipswich.It is located on the former A12 road which was blocked off at White's Corner after the construction of the Copdock Interchange and the A14 road Ipswich bypass....
, Suffolk, and grandson of the 5th Lord Walsingham
Baron Walsingham
Baron Walsingham, of Walsingham in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1780 for Sir William de Grey on his retirement as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. He had also previously served as Solicitor General and as Attorney General...
, he was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and became fluent in French and German. In 1907 he joined the publishing firm of William Heinemann
William Heinemann
William Heinemann was the founder of the Heinemann publishing house in London.He was born in 1863, in Surbiton, Surrey. In his early life he wanted to be a musician, either as a performer or a composer, but, realising that he lacked the ability to be successful in that field, he took a job with...
. He married in 1910. As he was shy and physically small, a colleague labelled him 'the door mouse'.
World War I
De Grey joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and served in BelgiumWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. In early 1915 he was transferred to Naval Intelligence Division, Room 40
Room 40
In the history of Cryptanalysis, Room 40 was the section in the Admiralty most identified with the British cryptoanalysis effort during the First World War.Room 40 was formed in October 1914, shortly after the start of the war...
codebreaking section. He and Reverend William Montgomery
William Montgomery (cryptographer)
Rev. William Montgomery was a Presbyterian minister and a British codebreaker who worked in Room 40 during World War I.Montgomery and Nigel de Grey deciphered the Zimmermann Telegram, which helped bring America into World War I. At this time , Montgomery was 46.A Presbyterian minister, he was an...
decrypted the Zimmermann Telegram
Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was a 1917 diplomatic proposal from the German Empire to Mexico to make war against the United States. The proposal was caught by the British before it could get to Mexico. The revelation angered the Americans and led in part to a U.S...
on 17 January 1917. The Zimmermann Telegram was from the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann
Arthur Zimmermann
Arthur Zimmermann was State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the German Empire from November 22, 1916, until his resignation on August 6, 1917. His name is associated with the Zimmermann Telegram during World War I...
to the German ambassador Heinrich von Eckardt
Heinrich von Eckardt
Heinrich von Eckardt was the ambassador for the German Empire in Mexico, assuming office around 1915 and spending most of his time as ambassador during World War I...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, telling him to offer the Mexican government the return of the states of Arizona, Texas and New Mexico as an inducement to Mexico to side with Germany against the United States. The public disclosure of this secret Mexican-German pact would help bring the US into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. De Grey was promoted and assigned to run the NID's Mediterranean section, liaise with the director of Italian naval intelligence and focus on Austrian cipher traffic.
World War II
In World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Nigel de Grey was assigned to Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
where he concentrated on German traffic encrypted on the Enigma cipher machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
. In September 1941 he provided a report to the Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
with the first references from German authorities to their own police battalions systematically levelling villages and removing their populations. One signal boasted of 30,000 executions 'in the central area'. Following a warning made in a speech to parliament by Churchill, a German circular in October 1941 cautioned that no further references to 'sensitive operations' should be made on wireless channels.
After World War II, he remained with GC&CS, which was renamed GCHQ, eventually becoming a deputy director and led a team working on Soviet cable traffic. He retired in 1951 but died a very short time later of a heart-attack in Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, London. His wife survived him.