大象传媒

In Salsamaggiore Mussolini had built a large hotel like building, evidently for the workers to come and take the waters and other treatments. As a billet it was a good place to be with electricity and water (cold), but no lifts just lots of stairs to climb.
I had to set up a wireless station at the top of the building with an end fed aerial, to contact far distant stations, ready for any emergency.
Salsamaggiore was rather a sad place for us. For it was here that the Section that I had been with for four years started to disband. Loosing some of my friends of four years standing was sad, but they were happy to go home.
Some, Sgt. Howland, Ferdie Pool, Johnny Ibbotson, Taffy Davis and myself were posted to GHQ R.A.N.W. Italy based in Como by the lake. We were in the Rose Villa, a sizeable hotel, with a garden down to the lake. We had a nice billet off the main building. All together in one large room, which was very cosy and very near to the main gate, so we could slip in and out at will.
On the floor beneath us were the Regimental Sgt. Major and the Quartermaster Sergeant, two very handy people to be to be friendly with when parades and duties were being handed out.
Dances, with a bar went on every Saturday and they helped pass the time very pleasantly. The General played the fiddle in the orchestra, and he was very good.
Then Ferdie and myself were sent down the lake to Bellagio, to be instructors at the Signals School. We tried to get extra stripes thinking it would help at demob time, but it was not to be.
Bellagio is a lovely place, jutting out into the lake where it divides and goes to Lecco one way and Chaisso the other.
We still managed to attend the dances, going up and down the lake on the old paddle steamers, which also had a bar so it was not a bad life. We tried going by road to the dances, but it took longer, as we had to stop at times at the bars while the chairs and tables were moved out of the road. Ferdie and myself had to arrange training sessions for the trainees, so we tried to make it interesting for them and also for us.
We would go out on the lake with a wireless set, in a skiff, and the trainees would be set up around Bellagio. It was pleasant for us, floating on the lake. Sometimes to pass the time we rowed across the lake to visit Menagio, and have a meal and a glass of wine with a hotel proprietor that we knew.
Also we rowed around the lake and visited caves, which are under the banks.
We spent a lot of time out on the lake enjoying good weather all the time we were at Bellagio. It was while at Bellagio that permission to get married came though from the army. We could get married after 6th April 1946.
I was given twenty-one day鈥檚 leave. So I quickly packed and went down the lake to Como by the first paddle steamer. I met up with my Section Officer who sent me on my way to Milan via the army letter service in the back of a van, all the way across northern Italy.
From Milan then on I travelled via Piacenza, Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Padova, and Mestre (Venice) and finally to Pieris. This was where Nella and family had lived, with their grandparents, after having their home destroyed by our bombs in Pola.
I arrived tired and hungry. Everything for the wedding had to be arranged in a very short time.
Pieris is a small village, and is a centre for the villages around. The Podesta (Mayor) with the Municipio (Town Hall) was in Pieris, so that gave it some importance, also that was where the marriage had to be registered.
Pieris sat astride the main road from Venice to Trieste and had the only bridge across the river Isonzo for many miles; more important was it had the only cinema for miles.
First on the list to see was the village Priest, who did his best to convert me to a Roman Catholic but Nella and I had already decided each would keep their own religion.
Having previously received the Popes鈥� permission to marry, we now had to see the Silvescovo (Bishop) to get his permission to marry in the village church of Santa Eufemia, Pieris.
The bishop鈥檚 palace was in Gorizia, some 50km away, quite a trip in those days of no transport. We had to hitchhike all the way. I don鈥檛 remember how, neither does Nella.
When we eventually arrived at the Palace, we had to wait our turn to speak to somebody through a little hole in the wall. We were then told the Bishop was away until the next day.
So back to Pieris we went, to return the following day. Written permission was given, but with many stipulations, which didn鈥檛 bother me, but the Maestro (Nella鈥檚 father) was very upset and had great discussions with the village Priest, Don Silvio Fasso. In the end he agreed to what was wanted.
The music was of great importance to the Maestro. He had written music especially for Nella, on the day she was born and intended to play it when she married.
Flowers and candles were going to be there and we were allowed to be married at the high altar.
Now things could go ahead. The white wedding dress a present from my mother, arrived and the date was set for 14th April 1946 Palm Sunday the most important service of the Catholic year. This was why the flowers etc, were allowed.
Masses of flowers and also fruit began to arrive. I had to clear my room of flowers before I went to sleep. I felt I was lying in state!
Where all this food and wine came from I don鈥檛 know. It still being as wartime, everything was in very short supply.
It seems the people of Pieris and friends around gave most things, so generous, when they had so little themselves. Nella was popular and well thought of by all.
As the church was so close to Nella鈥檚 home, we walked in procession, with Nella鈥檚 family, the maestro Vittorio, mother Olympia, brother Bruno, and sister Anita, who had worked so hard helping with the arrangements.
Not only was I the only one on my side, but also I was the only English person at the festivities.
The road was lined with masses of people, all of whom knew Nella and called out to her, and wished her luck. I found it very confusing.
On entering the Church, Maestro Candotti and the orchestra, who were all professional colleagues of his, played the music he had written for her when she was born. Everybody was in tears.
Nella looked beautiful as did the Church.
The ceremony passed off smoothly, lasting 2录 hours and all in Latin! I wasn鈥檛 too sure what was going on, and my knees got quite sore from getting up and down.
During the service a Friar appeared, he knew all the chants and responses, and dressed in a brown habit with open toed sandals and a cord around the waist, he added colour and importance to the ceremony.
The orchestra played Ave Maria by Goun贸, as we left the Church.
Crowds of people were waiting outside; children came from miles around, having heard that the custom of throwing confetti (sugar almonds) to the crowd would happen. This was the first time in about 12 years that there had been a white wedding, with confetti. It was special for the children who had not seen such sweets for years, if ever.
There was such a commotion that it was difficult to get home to the wedding breakfast, and what a wedding breakfast. What a feast! I don鈥檛 ever remember seeing so much food and drink.
Family and friends overflowed into three houses around the cul-de-sac.
Such was the confusion that I don鈥檛 remember much clearly. My Italian was sparse, and that made it even more difficult for me to absorb the atmosphere, and I suppose the wine didn鈥檛 help.
Nella was beside me and I think was as confused and bewildered as I. Anyway we survived together and enjoyed every minute of it.
In the evening we continued the celebrations at a bar belonging to a friend of Bruno鈥檚. I went along full of the spirit of the occasion but was now beginning to feel worn out in body and mind and so began understood even less Italian.
The first night of our honeymoon was spent in Pieris in the apartments of the Contessa. Nella鈥檚 people had the use of some of her rooms.
We were awoken during the night by the sound of music, and we then realised that we were being serenaded. On going to the window, we saw musicians who had climbed up into a large Horse Chestnut tree, and being against a brilliant moonlit sky made a wonderfully romantic setting, which could never be forgotten.
It was Bruno and musicians of the village playing 鈥淪erenade in the Night鈥� a very apt and popular tune of that time. It was very romantic, everything perfect, only better if my family had been there to witness it and share the excitement and the affection shown by everybody. In fact the occasion seems to have gone down in the history of Pieris and is still spoken of when we go there.
The honeymoon was to be in the Dolomites, in Merano, and we left at 9am the following morning with booked seats on a coach, which took us on a 2陆-hour journey to Venice.
This was the first time that we had been out alone together.
When we arrived in Venice, having a little time to spare, we decided to go walk about. We saw the Piazza San Marco, the Doge鈥檚 Palace and lots of other interesting places.
Realising time was short we hailed a passing gondola and had a memorable ride along the Grand Canal, passing all the famous palaces and under all the famous bridges, then on to the railway station to find our train.
Next stop Verona. Most of the stations along the route were in a bad way due to the attention they had received from the RAF. It was difficult to get food and drink on the journey, though we were well supplied with food by Nella鈥檚 mother, so for us the journey passed well enough.
Every thing was going as planned and we were enjoying being out and about together, at last.
Arriving at Verona late at night, we had to find a hotel. We found a porter, who said he knew of a hotel, and so off we went. He was a little fellow but went off like a flash, and we had to keep him in sight, as luggage was known to disappear in those days of shortages. Eventually, we came to a little doorway and on going in were taken to a rather nice large room, with chairs and a table and a large bed. All the furniture was made of iron but was quite attractive and comfortable, We were given tea, the food we already had. Early next morning having an early train to catch we were pleased when the little porter reappeared, as he said he would, to take our luggage, all very nice for us as everybody so helpful.
We saw nothing of Verona, which was a great pity, as it must be such a lovely place to visit, I鈥檓 sure.
We arrived and left, in the dark, so we only saw the station, and a little from the train window.
We journeyed on through lovely mountainous scenery, via Trento, Bolzano and finally Merano in the Dolomites.
An interesting journey even though we were in cattle trucks there was no seating of any kind only a wooden bench that wasn鈥檛 fixed to the floor, not exactly first class! We had to sit facing each way or we would have all fallen over.
The last part of the journey was a short ride to Merano, a lovely town amid the mountains, German in character but very picturesque especially at this time of the year, April.
Nella鈥檚 Aunt Angelina and Uncle Guido met us. They were so kind and treated us so well. We stayed in their flat, which faced the mountains, with a wonderful view from the balcony. They took us about, and we drank birra Forst at the brewery where it is made, and visited the town, to watch the wood carvers at work
We were unable to stay as long as we would have liked but my 21 days leave was rapidly disappearing and I had to take Nella back to Pieris, then I had to get back to Bellagio.
I don鈥檛 seem to remember much about the journey back to Pieris, only the ramshackle locomotive which kept stopped and starting. I think it took one long, long, day to arrive in Pieris.
I immediately had to leave. The time had passed much too quickly for us, and we hoped the next month or two would pass just as quickly.
We had had a wedding and honeymoon to be envied and were very pleased with ourselves so far.
I went out on the road to hitch hike back, and managed to get a train from Venice for the rest of the journey, with no ticket. I just climbed aboard and travelled across northern Italy undisturbed, changing at Milan.
A very uneventful journey with little to remember of it.
The long ride, gave me time to think of what had just happened to me, and some of the things I had seen and heard, I was especially pleased the way people spoke of the time our regiment was stationed here. It seemed to me that, we had given them something good to remember, after the hard times of the war. Many came to ask me about soldiers they had known, but as the whole regiment was station here, with many strays from other units that had passed through, it was impossible for me to know them all, especially, all the Taffy鈥檚, Jock鈥檚, Ginger鈥檚, and lots of others. I did my best to answer them, and say that, it was a good time for us as well, and was certain that they were well remembered also.
On arriving back in Como it seemed I was a day late. The Duty Officer (whom I didn鈥檛 know) thought it was a bad show. He had just come out from England and was going by the book.
If only he knew what I had accomplished in 21 days. I am sure he would have given me a medal.
I travelled up Lake Como on the old paddle steamer to Bellagio where life was going on as before. Ferdie was still awaiting demob.
We just carried on with our lectures and schemes, which at times meant we were back on the lake, listening in to the workings of the wireless group.
I had a lovely room in the Albergo du Lac, overlooking the lake towards Menaggio. I wrote to Nella to come and stay, but it seems her mother didn鈥檛 like the idea of her travelling all this way by her self, so it didn鈥檛 happen.
When the school closed at Bellagio, Ferdie,went home on demob at last, after six years.
I was sent to Venice, supposedly to take over the signal office at Mestre, but I had no intention of getting involved, and disappeared into Venice. It might have interfered with my demob, so I was taking no chances.
The last posting I had in Italy was to Milan, there was little to see or do, there only the Duomo seemed to be open, everything else was closed. I had no duties, as the Sgt. Major was the friend from Como. I just bided my time, until I was sent home.
It took three days by train to get to Calais. Then a nice crossing, with a scare of floating mines, to say goodby to the war.
I was taken down to Aldershot and then to Guildford for kitting out in civvies. Everything included a blue suit, the choice was blue or grey. Braces, studs, all free in a box.
A lorry took us to Guildford station, and from then on I was on my own, at long last home to Napier Avenue, after six years and one month. I arrived home on 27th June 1946. and met my mother and sister, and saw my brother for the first time in six years, It was great, especially as nobody was missing from my family and friends, that I knew of, due to the war. My grandparents had died early in the war.
We prepared my room, and it was ready for Nella for when she arrived on August 26th, which she did at 11.28 Platform 1,Victoria Station. She arrived safely, after a long and tiring journey which took three weeks, and we are here still in 1998.

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