I had a message on my Facebook page to give me the sad news that Italian Campaign veteran Ken Southwell had passed away. Ken was in the army went war broke out and went to France in 1939 with the Lancashire Fusiliers. He came back via Dunkirk and served with the 2nd Bn, 78th Division. in the North African campaign, Sicily and then Italy. Ken went back to Italy on a tour I led in 2010. He was a modest, gentle man who wanted to forget the war when he came home. His family told me on the trip he would never speak of the war, but I couldn't stop him talking about it; he wrote afterwards to say the trip did him a lot of good and let him put some ghosts to bed. Below is Ken at the Lancashire Fusiliers plot in the Sangro cemetery, where many of his mates are buried. RIP Ken.
My uncle - Royal Corps of Signals - was the CO's signaller for 2/LF in Tunisia. They must have walked the same paths. On his parade beret he wears a Royal Signals and a Lancashire Fusiliers cap badge. RIP
I've had several men from 2/LF on tours to Italy with me. An interesting battalion. Ken became a platoon Sergeant in 1944, so may well have known your uncle.
Ken Southwall. R.I.P. It is heartening to know that he exercised some of his old ghosts on his return trip to Italy. He can now Rest in Peace with his old comrades. Tom
Ken Southwall. R.I.P. Good to know he made it back to Italy to pay his respects to his former comrades-in-arms.
