Latest news
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Breakout from Camp PG60
In April 2019, Capannori commemorated the events of September 1943 at the PG60 prisoner of war camp. Over 4,000 Imperial PoWs broke out after the Italian commandant’s refusal to surrender to the Germans. Surrounding villagers sheltered the escapees, honored with a memorial panel, part of an educational program for local schools.
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Captain Limbert’s Trunk
During April 2019, an exhibition in Modena displayed a trunk of Second World War photos and records belonging to Captain Richard Limbert, a key figure in the Allied campaign to free Italy. The trunk, once owned by Limbert’s relatives, contains volumes of documents, photographs, and postcards detailing his role and interactions with Italian partisan groups.
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Armistice 75th anniversary, September 2018
From 7th-9th September, 2018, 90 supporters of the Monte San Martino Trust gathered in Fontanellato, at the invitation of the Mayor, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Armistice and the escape of prisoners of war into the Italian countryside. John Simkins reports on a magnificent weekend – but one tinged with sadness. Photos by…
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Home by Christmas?
The book “Home by Christmas?” marks the 74th anniversary of the Italian Armistice in September 2017. It recounts the experiences of 600 prisoners of war who marched out of camp PG49 at Fontanellato after the Armistice on September 8, 1943. The book highlights the bravery and sacrifices of the Italian people and supports MSMT.
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Across Frontiers
Ernest Day’s experiences as a prisoner of war in Italy inspired his great-grandson, Zak Jarvis, to create a film. Zak’s 30-minute production, “Across Frontiers,” pays tribute to his great-grandfather and the Italian family who sheltered him. The film is a fictional narrative based on real escapee experiences and features a collaborative soundtrack from descendants of…
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A Kind of Holiday
A film has been posted on youtube of great interest to historians and also to descendants of escaping prisoners of war, in particular PoWs who jumped from trains transporting them to Germany from camps in Italy after the Armistice in 1943. It is an English version of a film recording the return to the Abruzzo…
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A diary…and a photo
Anne Copley’s research sheds light on the experiences of non-commissioned Second World War prisoners in Italy. At a Monte San Martino Trust lunch, she shared stories of soldiers and artifacts, such as a diary made by Robert Dickinson, a prisoner of war, which survives to this day. Another story involved the reunion of photos from…
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The grim story of Chieti
Imprisonment in wartime Italy was tough enough. At some camps conditions were much harder, and the regime more brutal, than at others. Quite one of the worst was PG 21 at Chieti, in the Abruzzo region – a very large camp through which may PoWs passed, often on their way to other camps such as…
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Champagne on ice
During September 1943, Lt. Col. Hugo de Burgh and Captain Reggie Phillips escaped from a PoW camp in Italy and made their way to Switzerland. In 2013, their descendants and others retraced their journey, commemorating the 70th anniversary. The group faced challenges and celebrated their success, mirroring the historical escape.
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A woman as a witness
The memoirs of Lucy de Burgh have now been published, providing a delightful and fascinating account of wartime Italy and its aftermath. In My Italian Adventures: An English Girl at War 1943-47, Mrs de Burgh (then Lucy Addey) describes her recruitment as ATS Officer, Military Intelligence, and posting to Italy, and her subsequent work for…
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