Laura Terrell

I am the niece of two prisoners of war – Lt Denys Simmons of the Royal Fusiliers and Lt Robert Curran of the Royal Artillery.  

I grew up on the dramatic stories of my uncles’ wartime experiences in Italy: ghastly prison camps (Chieti PG 21 and Sulmona PG 78 among others), a daring escape from a moving train, hungry and ill-equipped hikes across beautiful but challenging mountains, being cared for, fed and hidden by countless brave Italians, friends shot and killed, and later their group sadly being recaptured.  

I was always particularly struck by the immense courage and sacrifice shown by the Durante family of Meta (Aquila/Abruzzo), whose two sons Bruno and Mario were later tortured and killed by the Nazis, having helped and protected hundreds of Allied soldiers like Den and Robert. The ultimate tragedy is that Bruno and Mario’s bodies have never been found.

As a young child, I was so heavily influenced by their stories that I took up Italian and ended up graduating with a degree in Italian from Birmingham University and a subsequent Masters Degree focusing on 20th century wartime history.  

This took me to a career in the Foreign and Commonwealth office, where I led a variety of teams – over nearly 30 years – in corporate and geographical departments. I ended as a shadow board member prior to my recent retirement.  

I and my husband Stu have three teenage children and live in Surrey. In my spare time I have enjoyed fundraising for organisations including The Make Way Foundation, Caterham School, the Scouts and the England Dance World Cup Ballet Team (2025).  And in another life, I founded a theatre company, which performed at the Royal Albert Hall and won awards at the Edinburgh Festival. 

I am thrilled to be joining the Monte San Martino Trust team. My uncles Den and Robert both worked for the Allied Screening Commission after the war – an organisation that sought to acknowledge the thousands of Italian families who had helped Allied soldiers. So it seems only fitting that I should help continue that work today! 

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