Alan Hillgarth
Encyclopedia
Captain Sir Alan Hugh Hillgarth Bt, OBE (1899–1978) was a British adventure novel
ist and member of the intelligence services, perhaps best known for his activities in Spain during and following the Spanish Civil War
. Hillgarth appears as one the actual historical figures in C. J. Sansom
's 2006 novel Winter in Madrid.
In the book Roosevelt & Churchill: Men of Secrets, the historian David Stafford gives an account of Hillgarth's links with Winston Churchill in prewar Majorca, where Hillgarth was the British consul. By the outbreak of World War II, Hillgarth was Naval Attaché in Madrid, where he handled a huge number of clandestine intelligence operations on behalf of the British government. He had a prominent role in Operation Mincemeat
, in which faked documents were used to fool the Germans about Allied plans for the invasion of Sicily. He was successful at simultaneously appearing to try to retrieve the documents before the Germans saw them, and yet making sure that they did, all without arousing suspicion.
In his book Men of War, Hillgarth wrote that "adventure was once a noble appellation borne proudly by men such as Raleigh and Drake. . . [but is now] reserved for the better-dressed members of the criminal classes."
_____
Hillgarth was also a member of the strange and extravagant, 'SACAMBAYA EXPLORATION COMPANY'. which in 1928, went in search of Bolivian gold.
A number of British adventurers set forth on a romantic enterprise with modern machinery, to excavate a treasure believed to amount to more than 12 million pounds.It turned out to be a scam as the maps and documents turned out to have been fakes.
Adventure novel
The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.-History:...
ist and member of the intelligence services, perhaps best known for his activities in Spain during and following the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Hillgarth appears as one the actual historical figures in C. J. Sansom
C. J. Sansom
Christopher John "C.J." Sansom is a British writer of crime novels. He was born in 1952 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided to retrain as a solicitor...
's 2006 novel Winter in Madrid.
In the book Roosevelt & Churchill: Men of Secrets, the historian David Stafford gives an account of Hillgarth's links with Winston Churchill in prewar Majorca, where Hillgarth was the British consul. By the outbreak of World War II, Hillgarth was Naval Attaché in Madrid, where he handled a huge number of clandestine intelligence operations on behalf of the British government. He had a prominent role in Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception plan during World War II. As part of the widespread deception plan Operation Barclay to cover the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and...
, in which faked documents were used to fool the Germans about Allied plans for the invasion of Sicily. He was successful at simultaneously appearing to try to retrieve the documents before the Germans saw them, and yet making sure that they did, all without arousing suspicion.
In his book Men of War, Hillgarth wrote that "adventure was once a noble appellation borne proudly by men such as Raleigh and Drake. . . [but is now] reserved for the better-dressed members of the criminal classes."
_____
Hillgarth was also a member of the strange and extravagant, 'SACAMBAYA EXPLORATION COMPANY'. which in 1928, went in search of Bolivian gold.
A number of British adventurers set forth on a romantic enterprise with modern machinery, to excavate a treasure believed to amount to more than 12 million pounds.It turned out to be a scam as the maps and documents turned out to have been fakes.