Newspaper cutting from The Scotsman showing the picture of John Melville with his wife Emma and daughter |sobel in 1943 shortly before his death . Historians now believe that John Melville's body was used for " Operation Mincemeat " , an elaborate hoax to fool the Germans into believing that Allied forces would invade southern Europe through Greece and Sardinia rather than Sicily . Last week , 61 years after he had died , Mrs Isobel Mackay - John Melville's daughter from Galashiels, was able to give her father the memorial service he deserved with the help of the Royal Navy . 13 October 2004