大象传媒

Thinking back to my last entry about Rome bringing back memories, I have another one!

After we had broken through Cassino and were on our way to Rome we went through a small town called Alatri, the Germans had withdrawn so all the townspeople were out to greet us with shouts of "Viva Churchill"
Viva Roosevelt" etc.,

Our carriers pulled into the main piazza where there were crowds of people milling around us so we had to stop.
In the centre of this crowd a man stood out from all the others because he was very tall and had a red beard and hair.
He came over to our carrier to speak to us and I expected him to speak either in Italian or broken English but instead he said in the broadest Scottish Glaswegian accent "Och laddies am I glad to see you!" and gave us a bottle of the local vino, then said he had been delegated to tell us about all the local Fascists the townspeople wanted rounded up, especially the mayor.

We were quite astonished at hearing him speak as it was so unexpected. I asked him how did he manage when the Tedeschi were in the the town, he then rattled off something in Gaelic which he also knew a little of,he told me he said this to the Germans when he met any, it wasn't complentary to them but as they did not know what he was saying he always told them it was the equivalent to their "Gutten Tag" which satisfied their curiosity.

The Germans he said were not quite sure what to make of him as he didn't sound English, so he was left alone, apparently he taught his children to speak English but of course they spoke it he said with a definite Scottish burr
As he hadn't had any news,he wanted know how Glasgow was, had it been bombed, we told him as much we were able to, which wasn't a lot, but he seemed happy with the information we were able to give out.

Getting back to his request I told him that we were not authorised to arrest any one but that the Allied Military Government (AMGOT) would soon be arriving and they would take over so he should make his report to them.He was disappointed at this because he felt sure by the time they arrived the Fascisti would be gone.

I asked what was he doing in Alatri and learned that his parents went to Glasgow when he was a little boy, they decided to return to Italy but he remained in Scotland with some cousins, and was in Italy visiting his parents when Mussolini declared war and he couldn't return to Glasgow, so he had to stay and eventually married a local girl
Now we were there he wanted know how he could return to Scotland and what could we do about it to help him. I said that when AMGOT arrived he should have a word with them, though I personally doubted if they could have helped in any way.
One wag said he should put on his kilt and join up with the Argyles as nobody would notice him with his accent.

Then orders came through for us to move on and we were on our way again towards Frosinone. I wonder if he did ever return to his "Auld Reekie"

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