Introduction
Francis Lyall "Frank" Birch, CMG, OBE (5 December 1889 – 14 February 1956) was a British cryptographer and actor. He was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge.
During World War I, he served as a lieutenant commander with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and served in the Atlantic, the Channel and the Dardanelles before joining the Naval Intelligence Division (Room 40) from 1916 to 1919. Birch wrote a satirical history of Room 40, Alice in ID25. Birch was appointed an OBE in 1919.
He was a fellow of King's College, Cambridge, between 1915 and 1934 and a lecturer in history at Cambridge from 1921 until 1928.
Birch left Cambridge to pursue an acting career in the 1930s, including the role of Widow Twankey in pantomime.
In 1939 he was part of a BBC television production in a Teresa Deevy play "In Search of Valour"where he played the part of Mr. Glitteron,
He joined the Naval section at Bletchley Park in September 1939, and later became Head of the (German) Naval Section. He had to face the shortage of Bombes to decipher the Naval Enigma, which led to the use of American Bombes via OP-20-G. Birch was awarded a CMG in 1945.
Selected filmography
- School for Stars (1935) - Robert Blake
- Jubilee Window (1935) - Ambrose Holroyd
- Cross Currents (1935) - Rev. Eustace Hickling
- Wolf's Clothing (1936) - Reverend John Laming
- Love at Sea (1936) - Mr. Godwin
- Such Is Life (1936) - Mockett
- Jump for Glory (1937) - Vicar
- Double Exposures (1937) - Kempton
- Twin Faces (1937) - Ben Zwigi
- Victoria the Great (1937) - Sir Charles Dilke
- Jennifer Hale (1937) - Sharman
- The Academy Decides (1937)
- Who Goes Next? (1938) - Capt. Grover
- The Challenge (1938) - Rev. Charles Hudson
- The Villiers Diamond (1938) - Silas Wade
- Lady in the Fog (1952) - Boswell - the airport manager
- Will Any Gentleman...? (1953) - Mr. Brown
- Face the Music (1954) - Trumpet Salesman
Television
- In Search of Valour(1939)