15 Facts About Ralph Izzard

Ralph Izzard received several awards and was appointed an OBE.

In 1919, Ralph Izzard entered Caldicott School, a preparatory school for boys near London, where he remained enrolled until 1924.

At the onset of World War II, Ralph Izzard joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves as an Ordinary Seaman, and qualified as a gunner but was commissioned a Sub-Lieutenant, eventually ascending to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in a position with British Naval Intelligence.

Ralph Izzard served with distinction, being Mentioned in Despatches and appointed OBE.

Ralph Izzard was recruited to the Naval Intelligence Division and 30 Assault Unit by Ian Fleming due, in some measure, to his ability to speak fluent German, as well as his expert knowledge of Berlin and its society.

Ralph Izzard's duties included the interrogation of captured German combatants, intelligence collection in the battlespace, and espionage.

Ralph Izzard regularly participated in the questioning of PoWs and provided detailed reports to his superiors regarding intelligence obtained as a result of interrogation.

Ralph Izzard trained the initial cadre of US Navy PoW interrogators and was further tasked with travelling to the United States in order to instruct operatives in the disciplines of cryptanalysis, interrogation, and intelligence dissemination.

Ralph Izzard was instrumental in establishing Op-16-Z, a section of the US Office of Naval Intelligence, which dealt with the processing of enemy prisoners.

Ralph Izzard participated in the creation of a plan, the objective of which was to obtain German Naval Enigma documentation to aid British Intelligence in the decryption of secret German communications.

Ralph Izzard published a book, The Hunt for the Buru which presented the results of the expedition.

Ralph Izzard concluded that extant saurians, seemingly dinosaurs had existed in the valley until as recently as 1940.

Ralph Izzard was married to Ellen Schmidt-Klewitz from 1931 to 1946 with whom he had a daughter, Christina.

Ralph Izzard had a son with the German actress Marianne Hoppe, Benedikt Hoppe being born in 1946.

Ralph Izzard was married to Molly Crutchleigh-FitzPatrick from 1947 to 1992 with whom he had two daughters and two sons, Miles, Anthea, Sabrina and Sebastian.