Escape route from Fontenallato (PG49) near Parma, Italy.

My father, Captain John Crosthwaite Eyre RE and SOE, was captured in Tunisia on January 29th 1943, leading a group of saboteurs in a raid to destroy a bridge what was key to the resupply of Rommel. I believe this was Operation Felicity or Felice 1, but I can find no reference to this operation. He had earlier been on Operation Postmaster. He finished up, in June 1943 in Fontanellato and was released at the Armistice. He and two others (one being a major) were provided sanctuary by Mathilde Franchi Moruzzi and her husband, in the tiny hamlet (now abandoned) of Case Scapini, which is close to Cereseto and Bardi in the Apennines and he lived there for three months.

I recently went to Case Scapini, to meet two of her granddaughters and a great granddaughter of Mathilde Franchi Moruzzi. We had a most fascinating time as so well described in the attached blogs Matilda: la donna che salvò nostro padre and John Crosthwaite Eyre, prigioniero inglese e Metirda (Matilde Franchi Moruzzi) – Case Scapini di Cereseto Compiano (Parma) – Centro Culturale “Compiano Arte Storia” – 28/09/2017. The local TV station also made the following news clip

My father left the attached letter with Mathilde which she (must have) posted when the Allies arrived. In this letter, he refers to a “Major” who was with him. They were all recaptured on the Swiss Border. In “Home by Christmas”, the stories of escapees from Fontanellato by Ian English, there were only 7 Majors, who escaped and were recaptured. They were:

1. G A F Archdale 40350 RA
2. R F L Chance 49821 KRRC
3. J Duthie 26752 RA
4. H P Edwards 113927 KRRC
5. D C G Seymour Evans 5807 7H
6. H R Haig 58198 CAM H
7. J Tennant 90822 RA

I am looking for anyone who might know of or have links to the families of any of these Officers, as they may have more information on their experiences, how the cam to be looked after by Mathilde and also what their route to Switzerland was. I would also like to introduce them to Mathilde’s family

 

Same thread - duplicate ?? SOE Operation Felice 1 or Felicity, Tunisia, 28 December 1943

TD

 

don't think so TD, one is about the Operation itself, the other about particular escapers/evaders

 

Hello Charles,

If I were you I would look for Liberation reports for these majors you list. You will get address details from the Lib. reports which might help you to track down their families.There was another major, SC Merritt, General List, who was also recaptured and sent to O79. (Found in WO 392/21 POWs in Italy and 392/1 POWs in Germany, both files at the National Archives)

Vitellino

 

Charles

There was an SPG Liberation Report (SPG LIB 1216 - National Archives - WO 208/3333) for your Father Captain J Crosswaite Eyre where his unit is shown as 6 Signal Unit, 1st Army. Sadly this is one of the many reports missing from this series and I have not been able to find a POW Liberation report for him as these appear to have been the catalyst for the subsequent SPG Liberation interviews.

 

My apologies for any confusion and possible duplication, but TD is correct - I am in this, inquiring about my fathers escape route in Italy ! I am learning the ropes!
I do not understand the apparent Royal Signals link as he was definitely a Royal Engineer. The spelling is slightly different, but maybe he was attached to the Signals at this point. In his Release Letter from the army (dated 16 May 1946), he is given Honorary Rank of Major and he is referenced as J Crosthwaite-Eyre, Royal Engineers.

I have also got all my Father's PoW letters and I know he was also in OFLAG 79 to the end of the war. His last letter, dated 13/4/1945 says he was liberated the day before is from OFLAG 79.

Vitellino - I will follow up your suggestion of looking into the Liberation reports and see where that leads.

Many thanks all of you!

 

UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945
Name: J Crosthwaite Eyre
Rank: Captain
Army Number: 134990
Regiment: Royal Engineers
POW Number: 1927
Camp Type: Oflag
Camp Number: 79
Camp Location: Brunswick, Lower Saxony

I would guess that his regiment at enlistment was Royal Engineers, that would stay with him as his 'Official' Regiment

You could perhaps add some information here to help out this site - Oflag 79 Querum, Brunswick in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime Memories Project -

There is another thread on the camp - Airborne POW Officers Oflag 79 footage

TD

 

Charles - I may be a little late stumbling across your search, but I seem to be following the same route you took back in 2017 searching for your father's helpers. Whilst you appear to have been quite successful, I'm still on the hunt for my Dad's story from the same PG 49 at Fontanellato (PG 49 at Fontanellato in Italy – The Story of allied servicemen who were held prisoner of war in this town in Italy in World War II). Would love to know your thoughts on how to go about tracking these people down as I don't think he was too far from where your father was. Many thanks, Chris.

 

Hello Chris,

In the course of all your research of your father's story have you made an enquiry with Monte San Martino Trust at all?

I very much think you may have already, but I ask as Charles Crosthwaite Eyre penned a contribution back in 2018 which was published in the trust's June 2018 newsletter (a condensed story given the information and photographs within Charles' link in post #1 of this thread).

An enquiry with the trust, should you not have done so over the years, may be of help to you.

Contact us – Monte San Martino Trust

And given the content of this thread, all thanks and courtesy to MSMT and Charles, extract from June 2018 newsletter below (with full pdf attached too).

Always remember, never forget,

Jim.

 

Thanks Jim, MSMT have been an inspiration from the start and I was pleased to meet up with Nick Young and John Simkins in Servigliano in 2023. And yes, I've already saved a copy of Charles's story in that Newsletter back in 2018. All I want to do now is to fill in the blanks of my Dad's story, and the dream is to find a relative of anyone who helped my Dad at any period in this extraordinary period in his history. Cheers, Chris.