Help in contacting Monte Cassino Vets

[Phil_C]

Hi,

I am looking for some information on how I could go about contacting World War Two veterans who served at Monte Cassino, as I am planning of doing my dissertation on it at University. I am especially looking for info on the Stockport Italy Star Association. I saw them in spoons once, but was to shy to say anything to them, as they took the piss out my Italia shirt. I have already got one vet lined up to interview, although he is a German paratrooper, and I would like to find some British Vets.

Any Help would be great.

Best Regards
Phil

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Phil, have you tried your local branch of the Royal British Legion? How about trying to find some Polish Vets, as they were the ones who took the Monastry? I will see what I can find for you?
Cheers, Ade.

[Phil_C]

Thanks Ade,

That would be great I thought about polish vets although I don't think there would be any living in my area, and it would be difficult to track them down, I'll see if I can find any info on my local legion.

Any more help would be well appreciated.

Cheers
Phil

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Phil, sorry I have not come up with much info. But try writing to the "Daily Mail" newspaper here in the UK as they ran on article about the Monte Cassino Vets in Saturdays paper. The quoted the Sec of the association as a Mr John Clarke, aged 80.
Cheers, Ade.

[Mike C]

Phil,

Where do you begin? There were four battles of Monte Cassino (by current count). These would include (among many others):

a. the French Corps Expeditionnaire Francais (under General Juin probably the best Allied Corps in Italy);

b. most of the 10th (Br) Corps;

c. the US II Corps (particularly the 36th IN Division);

d. the unique New Zealand Corps (with, of course, the famous 4th Indian Division);

e. the Canadian 1st Corps, II Polish Corps and 13th (Br) Corps.

From the German side, you would need to consider the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division (the original defenders of Monte Cassino) and the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Division - plus other supporting arms and services.

My advice - spread your net wide.

Mike

[ccmax]

Polish vets

There are hundreds if not thousands of Polish vets living in the Americas.

I don't have the address of their association in my city, but here is the link of the Polish association in a neighboring state:

http://www.tchr.org/braz/socctba/pl/indexprpl.html

You should probably try to contact the embassys and consulates of Poland in major US, Canada and Brazilian cities. Here is the link to the Polish consulate in my city:

http://www.polonia.org.br/postos%20c...%20diplom..htm

Here is a list of Poland consulates in Brazil:

http://www.consulados.com.br/consulados/polonia.html

Ask how you could contact Polish vets organizations in these cities. There should be some Monte Cassino vets among them (I once found a Polish lieutenant's badges and ribbon bars in a flea market, which included the Monte Cassino Cross).
Cesar.