Monte Cassino: the Soldiers' Story

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by walker1914@Aug 15 2004, 06:13 AM
Also on Monday 'Whicker's War' is on Channel 4 as well, which covers his wartime service in the Army film unit, which was mentioned being made in other threads on this forum, should be very interesting!!

Good to see the forgotten front getting some welcome exposure!!

Rod

Quite interesting, and only part one. This went from the landings in Sicily, and as far as Salerno. Next week must be Cassino, Anzio etc etc.

Whicker said that just over half of his AFPU were killed or wounded in Italy, was it 21 out of 40?

Anyone found the two AFPU soldiers who he actually named as being killed? I have tried to find them on the CWGC site with no luck. Probably a problem to do with spelling, although I have tried variations.

The first guy was called MacLaren and was killed when his jeep went over a mine in Sicily.

The second had a name that sounded like "Regnold". He was a Captain who had a hand blown off on the beach at Salerno. He was then killed by another shell, whilst on a stretcher waiting to be evacuated. I think Whicker said that this man won the MC.

[Ali Hollington]

I have soldiers died CD at home, if no one else has by the time I get home (tomorrow!) I'll look them up. I also say the programme and found Whickers narrative excellent, I particularly liked his dry sense of humour and will make an all out effort to catch next weeks programme.
Ali

[angie999]

Originally posted by walker1914@Aug 15 2004, 11:13 AM
Also on Monday 'Whicker's War' is on Channel 4 as well, which covers his wartime service in the Army film unit, which was mentioned being made in other threads on this forum, should be very interesting!!

Good to see the forgotten front getting some welcome exposure!!

Rod

Of the two, I much preferred Alan Wicker's account of his personal war and I agree with BeppoSapone's comment about the 1/4 Essex and the castle. Even the rest of the Indian Brigade hardly got a mention.

Not trying to put down Essex Regiment fans (I don't come from Essex, but I lived there for 11 years), but for a proper overview of the battle, I though the Richard Holmes programme a while back on Monte Cassino was better by far. In this latest one, even the bombing of the monastery was presented more as an overture than a significant event in inself and the battle in the town hardly seemed to feature at all.

I definitely shall be watching Alan Wicker's second episode next week, if only because he is a true broadcasting professional who can tell his story well.

[DirtyDick]

Whicker's War ... now, was Sicily the setting for Monty Python's Whicker's Island, a realm populated entirely by Alan Whickers?

I too enjoyed the programme, as a personal reminiscence, and his t.v. bruvara is still much in evidence. However, I did feel that the programme was an unhappy compromise between recounting wartime service, scenic shots of modern Italy (alluding to his past profession), and references to his later t.v. work. Perhaps a few interviews or meetings with other veterans (British, US and Italian) would have helped it move along?

Richard

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by BeppoSapone@Aug 17 2004, 02:10 AM


The second had a name that sounded like "Regnold". He was a Captain who had a hand blown off on the beach at Salerno. He was then killed by another shell, whilst on a stretcher waiting to be evacuated. I think Whicker said that this man won the MC.

Just came across a piece about Whicker in this weeks "Radio Times". In this article Whicker says of the Salerno landing: "My opposite number and friend Captain Harry Rignold, was one of those killed on the beaches"

However, 98582 Captain Harry William Rignold, whose date of death is given as 12th September 1943, is actually buried in Bone, Algeria. Looks to me as if he died of wounds in a hospital in North Africa. There is also no mention of an MC in the CWGC entry.

Any comments?

If this has worked this ought to be Captain Rignolds entry:

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...casualty=938723