Ian Edward Fraser Ian Edward Fraser , VC , DSC , RD and Bar , JP ( 18 December 1920 – 1 September 2008 ) was an English diving pioneer and recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . Fraser was born in Ealing , London and went to school in High Wycombe . After initially working on merchant ships and serving in the Royal Naval Reserve , he joined the Royal Navy at the start of the Second World War . After being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions while serving on submarines , he was placed in command of a midget submarine during an attack in Singapore codenamed Operation Struggle . For his bravery in successfully navigating the mined waters , and successfully placing mines on a Japanese cruiser , Fraser was awarded the Victoria Cross . After retiring from the Royal Navy , Fraser set up a commercial diving organisation after realising the ease of use of new frogman - type diving equipment . After serving in several honorary positions in Wirral , Fraser retired from the Royal Naval Reserve as a lieutenant - commander in 1965 . He died on 1 September 2008 , in Wirral , Merseyside . Early life . He was born in Ealing , London , in 1920 . He was the elder son of Sydney Fraser , a marine engineer . He attended the Royal Grammar School , High Wycombe , and the school ship HMS " Conway " . He worked on merchant ships from 1937 to 1939 . Second World War . Fraser joined the Royal Navy in 1939 , serving on the submarine HMS Sahib in 1943 . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1943 for " bravery and skill in successful submarine patrols . " In 1944 , at age 24 , he became a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve , and volunteered to serve on the ‘ X ’ craft midget submarine depot ship HMS " Bonaventure " from 7 November 1944 to July 1945 . Ian Fraser was played by actor Martin Delaney in a TV show entitled , Victoria Cross Heroes . The show was narrated in part by HRH Prince of Wales . It tells the story of Fraser ' s attempt to sink the Takao on a secret mission abooard a midget submarine . On 31 July 1945 in the Straits of Johor , Singapore , Lieutenant Fraser , in command of an improved X - boat , HMS " XE - 3 " , attacked the Japanese heavy cruiser " Takao " , after making a long and hazardous journey through mined waters . Fraser slid the submarine under the " Takao " , which lay over a depression in the sea bed , and his diver Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis went out to fix the limpet mine s to the bottom of the ship . The two side - charges then had to be released from " XE - 3 " , but the starboard charge stuck and Magennis climbed out again and after a nerve - wracking seven minutes released the charge . " XE - 3 " then made for home . Magennis was also awarded a Victoria Cross , and Fraser became a lieutenant - commander . Sub - Lieutenant William James Lanyon Smith , RNZNVR , who was at the controls of " XE3 " during the attack , received the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) ; Engine Room Artificer Third Class Charles Alfred Reed , who was at the wheel , received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal ( CGM ) . HMS " XE1 " was supposed to be attacking another Japanese vessel as part of the same operation , but actually ended up also placing its explosives under the same target . " XE1 " ' s C / O , Lieutenant John Elliott Smart RNVR , and Sub - Lieutenant Harold Edwin Harper , RNVR received the DSC ; and ERA Fourth Class Henry James Fishleigh and Leading Seaman Walter Henry Arthur Pomeroy received the Distinguished Service Medal . ERA Fourth Class Albert Nairn , Acting Leading Stoker Jack Gordan Robinson , and Able Seaman Ernest Raymond Dee were Mentioned in Despatches for their part in bringing the two midget submarines from harbour to the point where the crews that took part in the attack took over . The citation was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " of 9 November 1945 ( dated 13 November 1945 ) and read : His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum , London . Later life . Scuba diving . Realising that frogman - type diving ( i . e . what is now called scuba diving ) could do many sorts of underwater work that the old - type heavy standard diving gear was unsuitable for , he and some associates got hold of war - surplus frogman ' s kit and set up a popular public show displaying frogman techniques in a big aquarium tank in Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester in England . One of his early calls to underwater work was from the police to recover the body of a little girl who had drowned in a pond in Denton , Greater Manchester . Using the show ' s takings , and with his younger brother Brian Fraser , he set up a commercial diving organisation called Universal Divers Ltd , which he was managing director of from 1947 to 1965 and , since 1983 ( as former chairman ) . In January 1961 Universal Divers Ltd was involved in underwater survey on damage caused to the Severn Railway Bridge by collision by two barges .