Latest news
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Robert Thurgood’s “Scappata”
Much to his surprise, in 2014, while in Le Marche on a Freedom Trail, Lawrence Thurgood made contact with the family who had hidden his PoW father. Here he recalls the adventure.
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Audacious escapes
Letitia Blake attended the launch of Karen Farrington’ s book, The Great Italian Breakout, which brings stories of resilience and resourcefulness to a wider audience.
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Isabella Insolvibile, Allied Prisoners of War in Italy, 1940–1943
Malcolm Gaskill reviews a book by Isabella Insolvibile that lays bare the shortcomings of the Italian state in its treatment of Allied prisoners of war. Translated by Andrea Hajek (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026)
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A family story comes full circle
A brave Italian family, an unidentified US airman, and the research that unmasked him and led to his granddaughter visiting his helper’s descendants. Anne Copley puts the jigsaw together.
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Debunking myths
A ground-breaking history of Italy’s PoW camps, by Isabella Insolvibile, can now be read in English – ‘Allied Prisoners of War in Italy 1940-1943’. John Simkins went to the book launch.
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PoW memories alive in Puglia
Ruth Murphy finds her research on Allied imprisonment in Italy taking concrete form at a conference in Bari and Altamura in February.
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Italian family histories brought to light in NARA files
The opening-up of the files of the Allied Screening Commission at the American National Archives (NARA) has helped create an explosion in grassroots research by Italians into the history of helpers in their area, together with some emotional reunions between the families on both sides of the story. One example is the research undertaken by…
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A request for help on Tuscan villages
Caroline Moorehead (the author of Iris Origo, A Bold and Dangerous Family and Dancing to the Precipice, to name just three of her excellent books), is appealing for help in connection with her current work. She is writing a book about the Tuscan villages of Civitella, San Pancrazio, Cornia and Gebbia and is trying to…
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From student to teacher – my story
Emanuele, a dedicated student from Italy, receives groundbreaking news of a scholarship from the Monte San Martino Trust, enabling him to study in Oxford. This opportunity transforms his life, increasing confidence through cultural exchanges and teaching experiences. Ultimately, he aspires to give back, continuing the cycle of kindness and learning.
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A Visit to Campo PG 53
Janet Kinrade Dethick writes about the historical significance of a prisoner of war camp for Allies in Sforzacosta, Italy, established during 1941-2. Confusion over its naming is noted, as well as concerns about its preservation. A recent visit by families of former prisoners highlighted the camp’s history and the need for public interest to secure…
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