No . 138 The Trusty Servant
Cassino Battlefield Tour . 23 rd – 26 th September .
Paul Smiddy ( K , 67-71 ) writes :
A group of 18 ( OWs , wives , parent and staff ) arrived in Cassino on Monday 23 rd September , via Rome airport . Unsurprisingly , little of the pre-war town remains and as a result the town itself has little to recommend it .
The trip was organised by James Webster ( CoRo , 92- ) and Michael Wallace ( CoRo , 86-20 ), having warmed up in Ypres in June , supported by Suzanne Foster ( College Archivist , 1999- ) and retired Chaplain , Paul Burt ( CoRo , 06-12 ).
Tuesday began with a mise en scène by Michael at the statue of General Anders , the Polish leader who finally took the Abbey that loomed above us . The Monastery on Monte Cassino , sits in a truly majestic setting . It too was flattened by Allied bombing but has been fully restored . To say that the Germans had great fields of fire is an understatement . Its approaches are very steep , and devoid of any cover .
After a tour of the town ’ s museum , we visited Cassino ’ s Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery . Its size indicates the scale of the Allied campaign under the sometimes-criticised US General Mark
Colonel Pawson in full flow at Amazon Bridge monument
Back L-R : Paul Burt ( CoRo , 06-12 ); Richard Pawson ( B , 62-67 ); John Beynon ( B , 59-64 ); Caroline Jerram ; Suzanne Foster ( CoRo , 1999- ); Kathryn Redfern ; James Redfern ( E , 77-82 ); Michael Wallis ( CoRo , 86-20 ).
Front L-R : Richard Pickard ; Julian Salmon ( C , 60-65 ), Maggie Salmon ; James Webster ( CoRo , 92- ); Christopher Jerram ( H , 67-71 ); Paul Smiddy ( K , 67-71 ); Catherine Heatley ; Fred Heatley ( F , 53-58 ); Will Watson ( A , 67-72 ); Alastair Moye ( Coll , 78-83 ).
Clark , and the immense difficulties his troops faced in attempting to break through the defensive Gustav Line .
Whereas Michael and James were our knowledgeable experts on the OWs buried at Cassino ( five of them in the CWGC cemetery ), it was ex-Sapper Richard Pawson ( B , 62-67 ) who provided the in-depth discourse on the design and construction ( under fire ) of Amazon Bridge , one of the many Bailey bridges that the Allies tried to push across the Gari river .
After visiting the monastery we went to the Polish cemetery . On a previous tour to Arnhem , our Sen Man , Fred Heatley ( F , 53-58 ) had pulled a rabbit out of his hat at the graveside of distinguished surgeon Lippman Kessel , by telling us he had been a clinical colleague ( Kessell died in 1986 but asked to be buried at
Oosterbeek civilian cemetery ). On this visit we learned that Fred ’ s father had been chief medical adviser to Anders ’ Polish forces during the campaign !
On our final day we stopped by the two achingly-beautiful Anzio CWGC cemeteries to pay our respects to the OWs who remain there .
The trip was enhanced by additional material that Suzanne brought along - those parts of Shaun Hulllis ’ recentlypublished book A Noble Company that pertain to the Italian campaign . It is of course , based on the correspondence between The Bobber ( Malcolm Robertson ( HoDo I , 20-43 )) and his ex-pupils , and at times is unbearably moving . Our thanks go to the trusty trio for yet another educational and fun trip that reinforces our awe of our forebears .
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