大象传媒

Story told by Antoinette (Toni) Woods of Birchington, Kent.

My father was Horace Sladden and he enlisted in June 1940 joining the 5th Battalion of the Buffs. He had one period of leave during the war but was later reported missing in February 1943 and then a prisoner of war in May 1943. He was interned in a concentration camp in Northern Italy. Unfortunately my family had not been able to find out about this period of his life except that conditions in the camp were very poor. While he was captive he dreamed of escaping and getting back to his wife, Lilian and his 2 daughters Toni and Pat. The partisans were in touch and said they would help 10 or 12 to escape. My father decided to join them. Eventually 10 or 12 of them made it to freedom and all went their different ways.

He reached the north Italian village of Castella Monte. He originally planned to get into neutral Switzerland but due to poor conditions in the camp he did not have the stamina to make the crossing at the time. He was found at the back of the farmhouse by the family of Nicola Garbasso and his wife Laura and their young daughter Francesca. He was in an exhausted condition and his hands were still tied behind his back from escaping the camp. The couple treated him like a son and he loved and admired them but he longed to return to his family. He was also worried about the Germans treatment of the family if he was found with them. He decided to risk leaving by way of the Alps but unfortunately it was November and the mountains were covered with snow. Sadly he did not make it and was found frozen on the mountains by the French Resistance 4 days after leaving.

He was probably buried locally at first but later the Italians laid him to rest in the Milan War Cemetery.

An old letter was found at his sister's home with only part of the address from the Garbasso family in Castella Monte. My sister Pat and I decided to try to find the family after finding out they were still alive so that we could visit them and thank them for befriending my father during the latter part of the war. We met the family in 2000 and were made very welcome and saw the mountain where my father was found. It was an emotional time for us all and they took us to the farmhouse where he was found and stayed with them in the latter months of his life. The family gave me his billy-can and photos which they had kept all these years.

My son Richard met us in Italy and also took us to my father's grave in the Milan War Cemetery which we had wanted to see and finally achieved after 60 years. We were then able to finally say goodbye.

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