AN Old Monmothian has published a book revealing the extraordinary story of his great-grandfather, who spearheaded a daring Second World War mission designed to buy valuable time for the Allies ahead of their amphibious assault on Italy in 1943.

Adam Hart came back to Haberdashers’ Monmouth back to speak to pupils, staff and members of the local Monmouth History and Field Society about his book, Operation Pimento: My Great-Grandfather's Great Escape.

The audience was captivated as Adam recounted how Frank Griffiths and his fellow RAF crew members flew their Halifax bomber across France and through the Alps to drop supplies to the French Resistance before fate took an unexpected turn and their plane was shot down.

Woven into the story was Adam's own remarkable journey in the summer of 2022, when he retraced his great-grandfather's 1,200-mile escape route through Nazi-occupied France and Franco's Spain, crossing the Alps and the Pyrenees and meeting descendants of those who had helped Frank during his extraordinary escape to freedom.

It was a fascinating and gripping talk that brought history vividly to life, offering a unique blend of wartime history, family legacy and personal adventure.

In August 1943 Adam Hart's great-grandfather Squadron Leader Griffiths was the only survivor of Operation Pimento.

He was part of a crew of seven on board the Halifax bomber when it took off from RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire on 14 August 1943, but as they were dropping support supplies for the French Resistance, the plane was damaged by gunfire from Italian troops and crashed just outside of Annecy.

The impact killed all six of Frank’s crew as well as five civilians on the ground, but he survived despite suffering serious burns, lacerations and several broken bones.

Though seriously injured, he embarked on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across France, Switzerland and Spain.

Acclaimed by Andy McNab as 'A wartime classic', Operation Pimento is a vivid account of a young man's quest to discover more about a man he'd never met but always knew to be a hero.

To find out more or to purchase a copy of Operation Pimento: My Great-Grandfather's Great Escape, visit Adam's website: https://www.adamhart.org/

Adam was also keen to revisit his old room in the boarding house, and it was wonderful to hear him speak so warmly about his time at Monmouth and reconnect with the School community.