A decorated war hero, who was the inspiration behind James Bond, has been denied a blue plaque to commemorate his life by a heritage group because of his story lacks “historical significance”.

Naval commander Lionel “Buster” Crabb, who was awarded the George Medal for gallantry, was on a secret MI6 mission to inspect the hull of a Russian boat when he disappeared on April 19, 1956.

In what remains one of the most fascinating tales of the Cold War, he never returned - his disappearance causing uproar in Parliament and ultimately leading to the resignation of the director-general of MI6.

Bond creator Ian Fleming is said to have used Crabb’s exploits as one of the inspirations for his suave 007 spy, and in January, to coincide with the centenary of Crabb’s birth, the Wandsworth Guardian and Tooting Sea Cadets campaigned to have a plaque erected at the place he was born, 4 Greyswood Street, Tooting.

But English Heritage (EH), said while Crabb’s disappearance was “an intriguing episode of the cold war era” his “historical significance did not match that of the naval and secret service figures so far commemorated”.

Stewart McLaughlin, a diver and instructor at the Tooting Sea Cadets, said the rejection could be down to the murky past of the British agent.

He said: “The rejection is nonsense. He’s a hero. He was the person heading up mine clearance in Italy during the war. He saved many lives and they made a film about him [The Silent Enemy] less than five years after his death.

"I wonder if this rejection is linked to the fact Crabb's disappearance caused the establishment a lot of headaches?"

An EH blue plaque application, once refused, can only be resubmitted after 10 years, unless new evidence comes to light.

Intrigue over Crabb’s death will continue until 2057 - when the British Government will release documents relating to his disappearance.

Read about the uproar in Parliament and Crabb’s military record at Wandsworthguardian.co.uk.

Uproar in Parliament

British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, who disapproved of the fact that MI6 operated without his consent for the mission, forced director-general John Sinclair to resign.

But Eden stoked conspiracy theorists - who said Crabb defected to communist Russia - when he refused to disclose details of how Crabb met his end.

A headless body without hands, in Crabb's diving gear, was found some months after near the site.

An inquest jury returned an open verdict but the coroner announced that he was satisfied that the body was that of Lionel Crabb.

In 2007 the former Russian sailor Eduard Koltsov claimed he had cut Crabb's throat after finding him under the Russian boat.

Koltsov claimed Crabb was attaching an underwater mine to the vessel and that he was later secretly awarded the Red Star medal for killing Crabb and preventing the cruiser from being blown up.

Crabb’s Military record

During the World War II Crabb, who gained the nickname “Buster” after of US actor and swimmer Buster Crabbe, worked in a mine and bomb disposal unit removing limpet mines enemy divers had attached to the hulls of Allied ships.

He was awarded the George Medal, and later an OBE, for his efforts and after the war he served in Palestine.

A selection of naval and secret service officers who do have a plaque

Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane - senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars.

John Rushworth Jellicoe - Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I.

Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy - captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage and pioneering meteorologist.

Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas - British spy, who was awarded the George Cross, codenamed “The White Rabbit” during World War II.

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