PG62 - Bergamo, Italy, PoW Camp and related Work Camps

Thank you Vitellino, that was my understanding from the Campi Fascisti site too. According to the escape report, the family of Mario Villa helped them at Cascina Navazze and that of Sandria Michelli,at an unnamned house in Orzinuovi. The spelling of the latter village does not contain a "u" in the report but I believe that it is the same place!
Regards,
Col

 

I am new to this site but I wonder whether anyone might be able to help me. I am investigating a group of helpers from Lecco on Lake Como, more specifically the suburb of Acquate, who helped allied soldiers escape into Switzerland. The helpers were four Villa sisters, as well as Enzo Locatelli and others. I know they helped Adolp Suttner (109419) and Alfred Edward Dix (89709) who were both South African Artillery men, Alfred Donal Britton (4749407,a Green Howard, and James Smith (1808776) a British gunner. All were fleeing PG62. I have their escape report from the National Archives and have asked NARA for copies of their files in the Villa sister. I wonder whether anyone on these threads have come across any other references to others escapers who were helped by the sisters and/or mention Lecco and/or any other information on the names I have included. Thanks David

 

Hello David and thank you for this interesting post.

I know a lot about escapers to Switzerland in general but nothing specific about the Villa sisters or the men you mention.

What dates were given on their escape reports?

Regards,

Vitellino

 

Are you aware of this held at TNA Kew David? Not digitised unfortunately.

Name: Enzo Locatelli . Date of birth: 26 March 1912 . Place of birth: Lecco . ... | The National Archives

There may be more (on the Villa sisters perhaps?) within WO 208/5479:

List and reports concerning recommendations of awards to helpers of Allied personnel in... | The National Archives

Good luck with your search, hopefully dear font of knowledge for all things Italy, forum member Vitellino, will have something for you soon too.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Hello Janet,

Here's TNA reference for Gunner James Smith (1808776) with a couple of dates. Screenshot of TNA reference and link to same below.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.



Name: James Smith . Rank: Gunner , 1808776, 61 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal... | The National Archives

 

Hi everyone

In June this year - partly as a result of help from this group, plus others including a lovely journalist (Gabriele Moroni) from Il Giorno, a group of my family headed to Cisliano to meet the families of those that helped my great-uncle escape.

It was a lovely “reunion” and made up for the failed attempt of my great uncle to meet and thank them personally in 1949 - missed phone calls and language barriers. We’ll all keep in touch.

The Milan paper printed four full page stories over the course of six months as we tried to track everyone down. We gave them oak plaques to symbolise the oak forest where they hid him and two others, and placed forget-me-nots on the graves of those brave ones that are no longer with us.

I’ll still try to track down the family on the farm where he worked from the work camp at 62/32 (I think it was the Pioltino Cascini) but am pleased to have achieved most of what we set out to do. Incidentally a month before I went to Wald, Switzerland, where my great uncle’s internee detachment was after crossing the border - I found the plaque they left for the town, the factory they slept in and lots of other connections.
Thanks all!

 

Thanks everyone. To answer your questions. Suttner, Britton and Dix crossed into Switzerland on 18 Dec 43 and are all mentioned on the Escape to Switzerland website so were helped by the Baccigaluppi network of which the sisters were part. James Smith seems to have been part of the same network but there are two dates when he seems to have crossed - 16 Oct 43 (probably too soon) or 16 Jan 44. I did have the Enzo reference - I know several others in the network were recommended for gongs - does any one know if they were ever given them. I think I read or heard in the end the British Government did not actually follow through with the awards because they did not want to upset the families of Allied soldiers who had died in Italy - but not sure.

 

Fantastic news, and wonderful to hear of your reunion!

 

Hello David,

When you get the NARA report it will list the people helped by the sisters.

Enzo Locatelli was arrested on 3 April 1944 for beong a helper in the Bacciagaluppi escape network (pleased you consulted my website!)

James Smith.
He crossed in Ocober 43. He was recorded as being in a neutral country in the British Army Casualty lists - Other Ranks (WO 417/69 dated 30 Nov-28 Dec 1943). The casualty lists were issued more than a month after the event to which they refer.

I hope you don't mind my asking, but what is your specific interest in these four escapers, Locatelli and the Villa sisters?

Regards,

Vitellino

 

No not at all. My late wife was from Lecco and a couple of years ago I stumbled across a board outside there house. I became fascinated about their story and finding little documented about thier story have decided to write it up and to try to place their story in the wider context of the war and Lecco. One of the exciting leads I want to follow is of an Italo american member of the OSS captured with them. Much still to unravel.

 

Fascinating. What was the name of the OOS man? Do you know what happened to him?

In the meantime, here are some others who were part of the same escape party. They don't seem to have been helped by the Bacciagaluppi organisation:

Number Rank Name Regiiment date of capture Escape Report
4973158 Sergeant E N Bradford 1st Btn Sherwood Foresters 06 -06-1942 WO 208/4242
NZ42494 Private F A Lowe 22nd Btn New Zealand Expeditionary Force 15 - 07 - 1942 WO 208/4259
NZ32905 Private T Robson 25th Btn New Zealand Expeditionary Force 23 -11 - 1941 WO 208/4268
109027 Gunner G Morris 2nd A/A Regiment Union Defence Force 20 - 06 - 1942 WO 208/4263
109107 Gunner G S Tate South African Artillery 24 - 06 -1942 WO 208/4272
78912 Private M Wilson Transvaal Scottish 19 - 11 -1942 WO 208/4276

Regards,
Vitellino

 

These NZ records may help
Lowe
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/155321?srt=relevance&w=World+War+II,+1939-1945&n=f+a+lowe&from=/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search&ordinal=1
Robson
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C31417?n=t+robson&from=/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search&ordinal=9

 

Geoff,

I see Robson was 'killed on active service' but he was in Switzerland until July 1944! I wonder what happened to him? Will now check on his E & E report.

Edited with date of death: Died 20 January 1945

E& E Report

Reference: WO 208/4268/18
Description:
Name: Terence Robson.

Rank: Private, 32905, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Captured: Sidi Rezegh, 23 November 1941.

Escaped or Liberated: Off train at Mont Bello Verona, 18 September 1943.

Arrived in Switzerland: 18 December 1943.

Date: 1944 July 25

I will send for the original.

 

Gosh many more leads and questions of course. How did my group of soldiers, helped into Switzerland by the Bacciagaluppi network, meet up with these others? Perhaps when they were taken across Lake Como they were passed over to paid people smugglers who had picked up these other soldiers from different sources - package escape routes!. The American was Louis Baigioni - I have bits and pieces on him and after the war he maintained some contact with the sisters in Lecco but I wonder if NARA has anything - perhaps he had to write a report on his captivity in Italy and later Germany or did he in later life write down something? His war record would also be interesting. This is for later. In the meantime I will be back in Italy in a fortnight following several leads.

 

A good question, David. All the lists I have seen of escapers interviewed in Switzerland on EVERY date I have looked at - I lot, I might add - consist of men registered BOTH by Bacciagauppi AND others who presumably made their way across the Alps.

I'll have a look for Baigioni ( or was it Biagioni?)

Regards,
Vitellino

 

Thanks .dyslexic fingers..yes Biagioni. He survived life in a concentration camp and at some stage was the subject of discussions over prisoner exchanges.

 

This explains his death

 

David,

I have read up quite a bit now on the Villa sisters and the four pows helped by Locatalli- all in Italian. There was a short reference to Biagoni but nothing that you don't know already. I would try NARA if I were you,

Reagrds,

Vitellino.

 

Thanks Geoff but I can't open these files.

 

Me neither Geoff. All I'm seeing is a couple of small square "broken image" icons.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.