Operation Pimento
My Great-Grandfather's Great Escape - a gripping story of heroism and sacrifice, perfect for all WW2 fans
Published on 5. June 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-3997-4013-5 (ISBN)
Description
'An inspiring story, warmly told' - Country Life
A moving, thrilling account of one man's extraordinary escape from the Nazis - as told by his great-grandson. Perfect for fans of Ben Macintyre and Damien Lewis
'Frank Griffiths' incredible escape and evasion story will become a wartime classic. Truly inspiring.' - ANDY McNAB
'An affectionate and often audacious tale of an unsung WW2 hero. Adam Hart is a writer to watch out for.' - ANTHONY HOROWITZ
'A thrilling tale of courage, bravery and survival, brought to life by Hart's gripping narrative and fascinating personal connection. A superb debut.' - ALICE LOXTON
'This moving family history pays fitting tribute to the courage and resilience of the Special Duties Squadrons' crews, and the heroism of the French resisters serving alongside them.' - CLARE MULLEY
'A classic tale of Second World War derring-do, told with flair. A wonderful debut.' - ROBERT PENN
On 14 August 1943, Adam Hart's great-grandfather Frank Griffiths took off from RAF Tempsford, the SOE 'Special Duties' airbase in rural England. Frank and his crew were on a secret midnight mission codenamed Operation Pimento, but they were shot down near Annecy in southeast France.
Only Frank survived.
Though seriously injured, Frank felt it was his duty to get back to England to continue the fight against the Nazis. He embarked on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across Europe, via the attic of a brothel, a Frenchwoman's chimney and a Spanish prison cell. Seventy-nine years later, Frank's 22-year-old great-grandson Adam Hart retraced the epic escape through France, Switzerland and Spain. His emotional encounters with descendants of people who'd risked their lives to help his great-grandfather reveal the enduring legacy of Operation Pimento and how we should never forget their sacrifice.
Operation Pimento is not only a riveting true story, but also a vivid account of one young man's journey to discover more about a man he'd never met, but always knew to be a hero.
A moving, thrilling account of one man's extraordinary escape from the Nazis - as told by his great-grandson. Perfect for fans of Ben Macintyre and Damien Lewis
'Frank Griffiths' incredible escape and evasion story will become a wartime classic. Truly inspiring.' - ANDY McNAB
'An affectionate and often audacious tale of an unsung WW2 hero. Adam Hart is a writer to watch out for.' - ANTHONY HOROWITZ
'A thrilling tale of courage, bravery and survival, brought to life by Hart's gripping narrative and fascinating personal connection. A superb debut.' - ALICE LOXTON
'This moving family history pays fitting tribute to the courage and resilience of the Special Duties Squadrons' crews, and the heroism of the French resisters serving alongside them.' - CLARE MULLEY
'A classic tale of Second World War derring-do, told with flair. A wonderful debut.' - ROBERT PENN
On 14 August 1943, Adam Hart's great-grandfather Frank Griffiths took off from RAF Tempsford, the SOE 'Special Duties' airbase in rural England. Frank and his crew were on a secret midnight mission codenamed Operation Pimento, but they were shot down near Annecy in southeast France.
Only Frank survived.
Though seriously injured, Frank felt it was his duty to get back to England to continue the fight against the Nazis. He embarked on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across Europe, via the attic of a brothel, a Frenchwoman's chimney and a Spanish prison cell. Seventy-nine years later, Frank's 22-year-old great-grandson Adam Hart retraced the epic escape through France, Switzerland and Spain. His emotional encounters with descendants of people who'd risked their lives to help his great-grandfather reveal the enduring legacy of Operation Pimento and how we should never forget their sacrifice.
Operation Pimento is not only a riveting true story, but also a vivid account of one young man's journey to discover more about a man he'd never met, but always knew to be a hero.
Reviews / Votes
Frank Griffiths' incredible escape and evasion story will become a wartime classic. This is a unique book because Frank's outstanding deeds are only part of the story. We also follow the writer's own emotional journey through Europe as he follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and discovers the incredible bravery of those who risked their lives to help Frank escape. Truly inspiring. -- Andy McNab An affectionate and often audacious tale of an unsung WW2 hero, told by his great grandson. Adam Hart is a writer to watch out for. -- Anthony Horowitz A thrilling tale of courage, bravery and survival, brought to life by Hart's gripping narrative and fascinating personal connection. A superb debut. -- Alice Loxton This moving family history pays fitting tribute to the courage and resilience of the Special Duties Squadrons' crews, and the heroism of the French resisters serving alongside them. -- Clare Mulley, Women's Prize-longlisted author of 'Agent Zo' A wonderfully evocative tale of one man's escape from occupied Europe and the countless people who helped along the way, their extraordinary courage and sacrifice brought movingly to life across the generations by the author retracing his great-grandfather's footsteps to freedom. -- Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston KCB CBE, Chief of the Air Staff, 2019-2023 A classic tale of Second World War derring-do, told with flair. A wonderful debut. -- Robert Penn The writer's command of tension is on full display. Chapters break off at the opportune (read: most frustrating) moments to leave us hankering to find out how the Welsh airman gets out of the latest hair-raising situation he's found himself in. And then, just as we've settled into Hart's charming travelogue, back we go to his great-grandfather's escape. * Nation.Cymru * There are touches of the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, such as the attic above the brothel, but for the most part it reflects the deadlier drama Secret Army... This is an inspiring story, warmly told as a travelogue. * Country Life *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
One integrated b&w image per chapter, and 1 x 8pp. colour plate section
Dimensions
Height: 163 mm
Width: 242 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
494 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3997-4013-5 (9781399740135)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Adam Hart
Operation Pimento
My Great-Grandfather's Great Escape - a gripping story of heroism and sacrifice, perfect for all WW2 fans
E-Book
06/2025
Hodder & Stoughton
€7.99
Available for download
Person
Adam Hart is a writer and historian from Pembrokeshire in South West Wales. While training to be a journalist at Cardiff University, Adam won a travel bursary to retrace his great-grandfather's escape in World War 2, inspiring this book. He has also written for The Times and Telegraph, appeared on the Antiques Roadshow and ITV Evening News and has spoken on Radio 4 and Times Radio. Operation Pimento is his first book.