The medals and memories of an SAS hero whose wartime antics have been likened to a Hollywood script have been sold for almost £10,000.

Lieutenant James Riccomini MBE fled Nazi capture when his cover in Italy was blown and sought refuge in the Alps.

Medals, personal letters and forged identity documents were sold for a staggering £9,800 during an auction hosted at The Spa Hotel, Mount Ephraim, in Tunbridge Wells, on Tuesday, October 17.

Lt Riccomini, who was born in Maidstone, had served with the Royal Army Service Corps in Egypt when he was snared by the Nazis in 1941 and sent to the Gavi prisoner of war camp.

In September 1943 Riccomini was put on a train to a camp in Austria but the 16 men in the carriage carved a 2ft hole into an end wall jumped out of it as it continued travelling.

WATCH: Medals go on sale at auction

His life was tragically cut short when he took part in an assault on a German military headquarters in northern Italy during Operation Tombola.

Matthew Tredwen, a valuer and military specialist for C and T Auctions, likened Lt Riccomin’s tale to that of the story told in the 1965 war film Von Ryan’s Express starring Frank Sinatra.

He said: “The operation was very similar to a film called Von Ryan’s Express where they escape from the train they are travelling on.

“James Riccomini’s is a very good story that could make a Hollywood film. Sadly he was killed in action during Operation Tombola in 1945 which was one of the most famous SAS raids of World War Two.

“It is the heroic nature of keeping the stories of those brave men and women alive that is what a lot of collectors do it for. They want to keep those stories going for future generations.”

Lt Riccomini was killed during the operation dubbed the “SAS Italian Job” which was carried out in a bid to harass the retreating enemy forces in March, 1945.

Along with around 50 other commandos, Lt Riccomini was dropped back into Nazi-occupied Italy to the sound of bagpipes played by Scottish volunteer David “Mad Piper” Kirkpatrick.

Three SAS men, including Lt Riccomini, were shot and killed during the operation.