John Simkins
Twelve years ago, the Trust was handed the memoir of Les Hutty, a soldier of the Hampshire First Royal Artillery, who was captured in Libya and ended up as a prisoner working on a farm at Montechiari Denice, in Piedmont, near the border with Liguria. The memoir, a long account of Les’s escape, his recapture and eventual liberation, duly entered the MSMT’s online archive.
There it stayed, attracting occasional notice, until this year when it suddenly sprang into life in a remarkable way.
In May, we were contacted, in Italian, by a lady named Rosanna Patrizia Giacoia. She told us that, with the support of the municipality of Montechiari d’Acqui (which contains the former work camp) she and others wished to publish an Italian translation of Les’s memoir in order to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Italy from Nazi-Fascism.
Rosanna went on to explain that, shortly after the Armistice in September 1943, Les and three companions – William (Bill) Langabeer, Robert (Bob) Frizzell and Eddie Pell – escaped from the work camp (a brick factory) and found refuge for several months with contadini in the area of Varianda, in Montechiaro Alto, until their eventual recapture by Fascists and, finally, their liberation by partisans in April 1945.
We were keen to give permission for the publication but first I wanted the approval of Langabeer’s nephew, Tim Langabeer, who holds the copyright to the diary. A letter posted to him at his Devon farm elicited a response – and his fervent approval. Unfortunately, we have been unable to trace any descendants of Les himself. Tim explains that the diary was in the possession of the Langabeer family because it was Tim’s mother who suggested to Les that he write up his adventures; Les duly did so and sent her the manuscript.
The way was thus cleared for Rosanna to get to work on the Italian publication. When I received the draft, I became aware that this was not merely a translation of the diary, itself a long document which also contains Tim’s recollections about his uncle William, but was a fully-fleshed book that included the historical context and the recollections of members of Italian families who had known Les Hutty and his companions. A quick investigation of Rosanna Giacoia on Google revealed that she is an author with other books to her name. The translation into Italian was done by an associate, Augusto Bo.
Sponsored by the municipality of Montechiaro, 200 copies were printed and the book, bearing the MSMT logo, was launched at a ceremony on November 1st. Montechiaro made a generous donation to the Trust.
On the run
Les’s diary is a fascinating read in any language. Captured south of Tobruk in May 1942, he and his companions were transported to Italy suffering from lice and dysentery. After spells in prison camps in south Italy, where food was scarce, they were sent to a camp at Chiavari, near Genoa, where life improved somewhat, thanks partly to Red Cross parcels. He remembered enjoying a production of The Mikado put on by fellow prisoners. From Chiavari they were moved to a work camp near Pavia and then finally to Montechiaro.
Slipping into the hills after the Armistice, Les, William, Robert and Eddie mostly slept rough for some weeks, while being fed and re-clothed by various families. In late-October it transpired that the Germans had recaptured 35 of the 50 escapers from the work camp. Les and Robert went further up the hills to work for the Barisone family at Castaletto d’Erro.
Les writes: “There was no running water except that which ran down the hillside so all the water had to be drawn from the well outside the house for the household and the animals. Paraffin lamps were the order of the day for lighting, electricity not yet having arrived. The animals at the Baritone’s consisted of two oxen, one milking cow, two pigs, twelve sheep, six goats and numerous poultry, there were also several rabbits kept in cages and their dog which was chained up all the time. There were no tractors or mechanical aids in the working of the farm, the oxen drew the plough and also drew the four-wheeled flat bottom farm cart to transport all their produce and themselves up and down the very rough narrow badly broken, twisting steep roads which were about one in six gradient.”
Over the next year or so, the four men spent periods on the run when it seemed too dangerous to stay on the farms owned by the Barisone and Panaro families. Eventually they were captured by Fascists. On April 24th 1945, by then in a civilian prison at Alessandria, they were freed by heavily armed partisans. They reported to a New Zealand regiment at Genoa and were given their first English breakfast in several years. “This was a lovely experience and the tea tasted great.”
Les and his companions were driven to Naples where they boarded a troop ship “en route for HOME!”
After the war, right up to his death, Les stayed closely in touch with the Barisone and Panaro families and often visited them. The last message that Les sent was to wish his friends Happy New Year in 2002. He was living in Oldham.