Missing 27 months.

[Mike Winter]

My father was awarded the Italy Star.

Hs name was Walter Frank Winter but was known as Frank. He only occasionally spoke about the war but he said he saw Etna and Vesuvius. He was in Sicily and then Italy. Was at Cassino and saw Mussolini hanging in Milan. When men were requested for special duties he volunteered as it included thrupence a day rise in pay. He did his commando training near Fort William and was in the Lovat Scouts as a reconnaissance  commando. They were operating behind the German lines sometimes liaising with the Partisans,  entering a town or city dressed in civilian clothes and set up a observation post in a church tower or other building to report back on troop movements ect. They were in effect spies. They would be on a mountain for days reporting on troop movements and directing artillery fire. Food would be hauled up to them at night on a rope. My mother said that when staying in a hotel in Torquay after the war a tall man marched up to him, stood to attention, saluted him and said thank you for saving my life in Italy. He then turned to my mother and said he was a Polish Officer and he and his men had been trapped behind the lines under fire and my father led a troop to them and escorted them back to safety in the dark. I have a lot of newspaper cuttings and a copy of the Union Jack with pictures of them ski training in the mountains 1944.                          When he passed away  I obtained a copy of his service records but there is nothing from 8/11/41 to 2/3/44.He enlisted 15/1/1940 and was in the R.A until 8/11/41 when he was attached to 349 Hy AA Bty Weymouth for rations only from 6/11/41 to 8/11/41.                                                                           The next is 2/3/44 transferred to Pinefield camp with Seaforth.                                                                    17/5/44 transferred to 10 Black Watch.                                                                                                                 5/5/44 transferred to Lovat Scouts.                                                                                                                       29/7/44 arrived Naples.                                                                                                                                             Discharged 19/3/46. He was described as exemplary by Commanding Officer Lovat Scouts.

 

 

 

 

 

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