Monte Cassino: the Soldiers' Story

The hour long documentary "Monte Cassino: the Soldiers' Story" will be shown on Channel 4 at 8 pm on Sunday 15th August.

 

Lucky for UK members. I realy realy miss channel 4 (but you can keep channel 5 )

Brum

 

Brummy-presumably since your departure from UK Channel 4 and 5 have done a wierd role reversal. Now Channel 4 seems to fill its schedules with sleazy soft porn posing as serious documentaries into the 'sex trade' 'cosmetic surgery' or whatever whereas Channel 5 now shows half-way decent historical and scientific documentaries. Very odd.

 

When I left England there was no channel 5, but glad to hear their programing has improved. There is still no legal way of getting channel 4, 5, History channel, etc in Belgium.

Brum

 

Thanks for flagging that up, Tony. It will be interesting to see what it is like.

 

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

 

Originally posted by BeppoSapone@Aug 10 2004, 03:26 AM
The hour long documentary "Monte Cassino: the Soldiers' Story" will be shown on Channel 4 at 8 pm on Sunday 15th August.
Who saw it?

Fine as far as it went, although I think it should really have been called '1st/4th Essex in the Castle'!

Interesting for the inclusion of the German Para's, but, for me, ruined by too much from the 're-enactors'.

 

I can't believe it! I forgot about this and I'm particularly interested in the Essex Regt. Essex boy you see. I have seen a documentary before about Cassino included interviews with a german para, he sticks in my mind as he had a broad Yorkshire (ish) accent. Was he in this one and secondly is it a new or re-aired programme?
Ali

 

Originally posted by Ali Hollington@Aug 16 2004, 07:58 AM
I can't believe it! I forgot about this and I'm particularly interested in the Essex Regt. Essex boy you see. I have seen a documentary before about Cassino included interviews with a german para, he sticks in my mind as he had a broad Yorkshire (ish) accent. Was he in this one and secondly is it a new or re-aired programme?
Ali
I know who you mean, he is one of the "usual suspects" who pops up in a lot of these progs. He was taken prisoner, was in a POW camp in the north and never went home to Germany. He wasn't in this prog, though a few other Para vet's were.

Also, an officer and some of the "Pompadours" who fought for the "Castle" were interviewed.

I have never seen this prog. before which might, or might not, mean it is new. Others will know for sure.

 

Blast and darn it, I missed this programme. My other half had me taping a BBC thing on at the same time about The Odyssey which turned out to be complete rubbish. My Dad, a World War II Veteran, thought the Monte Cassino programme was excellent. Oh well perhaps it will be repeated, or maybe some kind soul might lend me a tape...I will pay admin costs.

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

A couple of paragraphs from Alan Whicker, Whicker's War book about Captain Harry Rignold:

More seriously, we considered future picture-coverage of the war on the Italian mainland, which was going to mean splitting our Unit. First it had to be decided whether Capt Harry Rignold or I should lead our cameraman across the Straits at Reggio Calabria to cover the Eighth Army's opening assault upon Italy.

The other would return to Africa to join the more military significant operation Buttress, the landing a week later up the coast near Salerno. Rignold, my senior, had the choice of course. We had spent some days together driving and filming through central Sicily, and I had come to like and much admire him. Small and soft-spoken, he was a most unmilitary figure, but brave and eager. He had caught the excitement of an assault landing while filming at Narvik in Norway, May 1940. That landing was a combined operation and, like Dieppe, a considerable defeat-but for Harry a splendid photo opportunity. So he chose Salerno, the bigger story-and was killed on the beach. I went across the Straits of Messina with the 2nd Inniskilling Fusiliers-the ferocious 'skins'-and landed safely. I had drawn another lucky card.
----------------------------------------------

Harry Rignold, my opposite number, had landed from an LCI and was moving across the beach when a shell burst in the sand in front of his jeep. His right hand was blown off.

Harry walked calmly to the sea wall, carrying his camera in his remaining hand. Putting it down carefully he said "I'm going to the RAP to get my arm fixed". He was lying on a stretcher at the regimental aid post awaiting evacuation by ship when another shell fell amid the wounded and killed that gentle and excellent man. He died without ever knowing he had been awarded the Military Cross.

Lesley

 

Lesley,

I was only about 12 when this thread started.

9 years after, we can now confirm the award of an MC to Captain Rignold (citation now added here although not particularly illuminating) - no doubt he and Alan Whicker are chatting about it as we write .

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D7347930

and reestablishing the CWGC link for him

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/938723/RIGNOLD,%20HARRY%20WILLIAM

best

 

Oh aye 21 now eh Richard?
I never watched the original programme but I am finding Alan's book a really interesting read.

Thanks for posting Harry's award.

 

:innocent: