Discover Finding Hester, the fascinating story of Hester Leggatt, the hidden heroine whose love letters helped fool the Nazis as part of Operation Mincemeat, the WW2 mission inspired by an original Ian Fleming idea. This is perfect for fans of espionage, wartime secrets, people power and women's untold stories.
Operation Mincemeat is one of the stranger tales to come out of the Second World War. The corpse of a homeless man, Glyndwr Michael, dressed as a high-ranking British officer, is dropped in the sea near Spain, where his official documents land in the hands of the Germans, tricking them into believing they have uncovered important information about the upcoming Allied invasion of Sicily.
To sell the ruse of the corpse, MI5 had to create a credible backstory for their fictitious pilot. They filled his briefcase with receipts, cigarettes, a photograph, and, importantly, two fabricated love letters written by a woman known as Hester Leggett. For decades, the story of Hester Leggett has been a mystery, with nothing known about her life.
Hester Leggett does not exist. But Hester Leggatt does.
This misplaced vowel and false identity was discovered by a tenacious group of Operation Mincemeat musical fans who went on to bring the real Hesterr back to the light, locating her school records, family, real love letters from the Second World War, and definitive confirmation from MI5 that they had the right person.
