The vast dining hall of the magnificent RAF Club was packed with Trust supporters, many of them enjoying the experience for the first time.
The theme of “lunch” was prominent. It was indeed at a lunch, 25 years ago, that Nick Young encountered six “originals”, former prisoners of war at Fontanellato, in the basement of an Italian restaurant in Haymarket. He was there at the invitation of Trust founder Keith Killby, whom he had contacted after reading Love and War in the Apennines, by Eric Newby. And that was the start of his journey with MSMT.
The guests at the RAF Club were welcomed by Letitia Blake, secretary, with a special mention to those who had come from overseas. These included historians Costantino di Sante and Isabella Insolvibile, from the Trust’s partnership with the Milan-based Parri institute, and Mark Dingle, the grandson of a Fontanellato escaper, who had come from New York.
Taking up the microphone, Nick described the lunch “as one of the best family parties I have been to”. After thanking the lunch organiser, Trust administrator David Kettle, and his predecessor, former trustee Christine English, he warmly welcomed all the guests. Among those he mentioned were Admiral Angelo Virdis, Defence Attaché at the Italian embassy, Baroness Jane Bonham Carter, whose father Mark was an escaper, Roger Stanton, director of the Escape Lines Memorial Society, Sonia Ashmore, the daughter of Eric and Wanda Newby, and explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison and his family. Also present were former Trust Chair Brian Lett and his wife Gilly, Tom Richardson and Christopher Prentice, both former ambassadors to Rome, Barbara Dickinson, the wife of Leslie Young’s fellow escaper, and Mildred Shutz, a 101-year-old veteran of SOE.
A busy year
Nick then summarised the activities of a busy year for the Trust. It awarded 40 student bursaries, the largest number to date, and thanks to trustee Ian Laing it forged a relationship with the British Institute of Florence. One of the bursaries handed to Florence students included one in the name of the late Vanni Treves, a former trustee, who so remarkably raised a million pounds for the Trust some years ago.
The Trust’s archive, said Nick, was now lodged with Cambridge University and the Trust was funding a post-doctoral thesis on the PoW story by Ruth Murphy, at Cambridge. Further funding, totalling $250,000, was aiding the USA National Archives to digitise and make accessible the records of 60,000 Italian families who helped escaping PoWs. The Trust was continuing to support development of the Allies in Italy website created by the Parri institute and was funding the translation into English of a comprehensive study of PoW camps by Isabella Insolvibile.
It was especially proud, too, of its publication of trustee Anne Copley’s book, Girl With A Peach, which has broken new ground by focusing on the experience of Other Ranks escapers. Another book on sale at the lunch was a novel by Hugo de Burgh, entitled To The River, which was launched at a Trust event at Mansion House in September.
It was time, Nick said, to relinquish his role as Chair, although he would remain a committed volunteer and was planning to write a history of the Trust. To achieve this he needed to go through Keith Killby’s prolific correspondence, which in addition to Trust matters, included several letters to his local council complaining about the state of the pavements in Belsize Park.
“What memories we have to share!”, said Nick. He singled out a few, including the Trust’s first Freedom Trail, at Sulmona in 2001, which was addressed by Italy’s President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. “It was really important to him that Italian bravery was being celebrated.”
It was after that Trail that Nick first visited Corvaro in Abruzzo, where his escaper father Leslie was recovering from pneumonia in the winter of 1943 and being sheltered by the de Michaelis family. “I am thrilled that their grandson Giuseppe has come here from Italy today, and great-granddaughter Benedetta Cofini, here today representing all Italian helpers.”
Nick said he was delighted to introduce the incoming Chair, Phil Cooke, who is Professor of Italian History and Culture at Strathclyde University and a leading expert in the period of history central to the Trust. “I am encouraged and impressed by his interest and enthusiasm, by the depth of his knowledge and the breadth of his academic contacts in Italy,” said Nick.
Thanking him, in an amusing rejoinder, Phil said that the word “lunch” had rather surprisingly featured prominently in the rigorous recruitment process to which he had been subjected. He acknowledged that Nick would be a hard act to follow. His own research, including into Italian partisans, and his work with Italian historians, was a good grounding, however, for a job to which he was greatly looking forward. He concluded by saying he looked forward to reading whatever Nick had to say about the pavements in Belsize Park.
Ambassador’s tribute
There were two significant speeches at the lunch paying tribute to Nick. Admiral Virdis read out a letter from the Italian ambassador, Inigo Lambertini, which included these sentiments: “I know from my experience and that of my predecessors and embassy staff what a wonderful job you have done as Chair of this marvellous charity. You have been dynamic, innovative, extremely hard-working, persevering, enthusiastic and an extraordinary leader.
“On behalf of all the young Italians who you have so generously helped I can only extend a warm and very large thank you. The Monte San Martino Trust epitomises what is best in Anglo-Italian relations and is a unique and remarkable organisation.”
The Trust’s tribute
It fell to Letitia Blake to thank Nick on behalf the Trust.
“Certain words and phrases recur when describing him: energy, passion, indefatigable, enthusiastic, unstoppable force, inspirational leader. His attitude is never ‘can do’, it’s ‘will do’.
“He loves working with and alongside others on a common purpose. One of his significant partnerships was with our founder Keith Killby who appreciated in Nick qualities they both shared.
“I count myself very lucky indeed to have had the great fortune to forge a strong partnership with Nick in our roles as chair and secretary. Sharing many experiences and adventures in Italy and the UK, building a precious friendship along the way.
“He is the quintessential people person and anyone who has encountered him as a trustee or as a supporter at Trust events has enjoyed and valued his warmth, kindliness and friendliness.”
“Grazie mille, dal cuore,” said Letitia, calling for a rousing Three Cheers for Nick.
A farewell toast
Letitia then called on trustee Anne Copley to present Nick with a present from the trustees – wines transported from the Marche in a box engraved with the trustees’ names, and two glasses engraved with these words of Keith Killby’s: “My life has been dominated by Italy and the Italians.” The gift was quite weighty and Nick was heard to say “my wife will carry it”. Helen Young then received a bouquet of flowers from lunch co-organiser Elly Evans in gratitude for her enormous support of Nick’s work for the Trust – a debt that Nick had also acknowledged earlier.
Concluding the event, Nick said: “It has been a huge privilege to lead the Trust, to play a part in its work and enjoy the friendship and support of some great trustees and supporters. And to be able to follow, with a real personal prayer of thanksgiving, in the footsteps of my father and get close to him after his death in a way that I was never able to do during his lifetime.
“I propose a toast to this wonderful organisation, to founder Keith and everyone who has played a part in keeping alive the story of prisoners of war in Italy and the brave Italians who gave them shelter and security.”