Reply To: 8th Army in Florence

[Chris Harris]

He would have been 8th a few men moved across but if he was with POW’s after the war he certainly wasn’t 1st Div as they withdrew to Palestine for 6 months in Jan 1945 to rest, refit and replace casualties mainly in the Infantry Regiments. The war finished before they completed their tour.
He was most likely billeted south of the river as 1st Div crossed it going north.
8th moved east of Pontissieve.
Enjoy Florence its been a long time since I worked there in the 1970’s, pity I cant see your statue might have recognised it. Try visiting some of the many villa sites on line available for rent/hire a lot have beautiful gardens with photos of statues. Even take a look on Satellite map views.
Don’t miss a trip to Fiesole wonderful views.