> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Document that helped capture key Nazi at the end of the Second World War to be sold by Lichfield auctioneer - URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/document-that-helped-capture-key-nazi-at-the-end-of-the-second-world-war-to-be-auctioned-off-in-lichfield/ - Published: 2022-03-09T09:36:00.000Z - Updated: 2022-03-09T11:59:17.000Z - Description: A document that helped to capture key Nazi Heinrich Himmler as he tried to flee Germany at the end of the Second World War is to be sold by a Lichfield auctioneer. - Author: Lichfield Live - Tags: Heritage, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:11, News A document that helped to capture key Nazi Heinrich Himmler as he tried to flee Germany at the end of the Second World War is to be sold by a Lichfield auctioneer. ![A page of writing that helped to identify Heinrich Himmler](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/himmlers-lines.jpg) A page of writing that helped to identify Heinrich Himmler The SS leader had planned to escape in disguise following Adolf Hitler’s suicide, but was arrested by suspicious British Intelligence Corps soldiers and given a page of lines to complete for a handwriting sample. That piece of paper has now come to light as part of the British Empire Medal archive of one of the team who took part in the arrest and interrogation of one the evil architects of the Holocaust. Grenville Grayer, from Great Barr, joined the Army in 1939 and was serving in Germany following the Nazi surrender when he encountered one of the 20th Century’s most notorious mass murderers as he tried to escape disguised as an ordinary soldier. Nick Thompson, militaria specialist at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said: ![Grenville Grayer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/grenville-grayer-45-fss-intel-corps-2.jpg) Grenville Grayer > “Mr Grayer would often chat with his family how one of the soldiers looked uneasy and out of place. > > “When the prisoners were checked, some were in possession of documents which the Intel Corps knew were being faked to cover up real identities. > > “One of these was a Sgt Heinrich Hizinger. Mr Grayer and another sergeant became even more suspicious and the suspect was ordered to write lines to confirm and ascertain his handwriting. > > “Soon the game was up, and the man identified himself as Heinrich Himmler.” > > Nick Thompson The page from Himmler’s brief incarceration contains possibly the last words ever committed to paper by one of history’s most evil men. Within hours, he would bite down on a cyanide capsule he was secretly in possession of. In the hours that followed Himmler’s demise, Mr Grayer liberated the handwriting samples and a silk toiletry bag which belonged to the SS chief. The items have remained in his family ever since. They now go under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 24th March along with Mr Grayer’s medals archive, which includes his British Empire Medal in original box of issue, plus Africa, Italy, France and Germany Stars, Defence and War medals. The group is accompanied by an original cloth insignia shoulder patch for 30 Corps and a souvenir medallion celebrating the unit. A wealth of other paperwork includes a photocopy of Himmler’s arrest report signed by those present including Mr Grayer, an original photo of him with colleagues from 45 FSS Intel Corps, original paperwork from 30 Corps Intelligence Summary including intercepts showing life at the front from the German perspective, and a large double sided silk escape-style map. The archive is expected to fetch between £2,000 to £3,000. ## Trophies of war Other trophies of war from the collection of Mr Grayer, who died in 1995 aged 78, will be sold separately. ![An SS cap and Nazi armband that are being sold at auction in Lichfield](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/grayer-ss-cap-and-armband.jpg) An SS cap and Nazi armband that are being sold at auction in Lichfield These include a rare M41 tropical SS cap – which could fetch up to £2,000 – plus a swastika armband complete with original manufacturer’s slip and a Luftwaffe pilot’s parachute harness. Mr Grayer’s nephew, Martin Grayer, runs an advertising and marketing agency in Lichfield. He said: > “It has been a fascinating experience to revisit the extraordinary story that relates his wartime experiences and the event of Himmler’s capture that with recent events seem to resonate even more. > > “Our ‘Uncle Gren’ fulfilled the entire definition of a favourite uncle – a unique character, generous, supportive with an anarchic humour but most of all liked by everyone he met. > > “On behalf of my sister Melanie and brother Chris, we are pleased that his story will be shared and maintained with the potential of having a place in an enthusiast’s collection.” > > Martin Grayer For more details about the sale, visit [www.richardwinterton.co.uk/auction-dates](http://www.richardwinterton.co.uk/auction-dates?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk).