Maiori, Amalfi Coast

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Maiori, Amalfi Coast, October 19th

I’m not sure how to start this session as the day has been the most amazing and moving day so far.

I’ve already told the story of finding the mysterious photo of my Dad with the note on the back saying “Castle Lauro, Feb/March 1945, CMF School of Signals”. What was Dad doing in that place when the rest of his unit had gone to North West Europe?  It certainly explained why he didn’t have the North West Europe star when everyone else in the unit did.

I think I also explained about Operation Penknife and the deception played by Canadian signallers to convince the Germans that 1st Div was in the south.  I also told how I found Castello Lancellotti with the help of Pasquale. I guess what I didn’t say was that in all of the research about where 10 Bty was for 19 months in Sicily and Italy…there’s only one place where I know exactly where my Dad was…and that is at Castello Lancellotti as shown in the picture.

This morning at 10:00 I met Pasquale and an interpreter, Daniela, in the piazza in Lauro, in front of the Church and City Hall.  We walked up the cobbled road to the Castello gates and I was introduced to a number of people but I was in such a daze I can’t remember who they were.

We stood in the courtyard for a bit and Pasquale explained the history of the Castello dating back to 900 AD or so. The original buildings had been destroyed by the French and when it came time to rebuild one of the criteria was that it have an “eclectic” air.  This means that wherever you look in the Castello there is a different architectural period on view.  You can clearly see the differences, even I can and I don’t know baroque from broke.

We began to move to one of the buildings when Pasquale stopped and said “that is where you Father was standing”. I turned to look at the same background that is in the mysterious photo taken in 1945.

I am not often taken aback emotionally…I’m tough…right?  Certainly the cemetery visits have been emotional…but in this case I had to excuse myself from my friends to stand against the railing by myself for a moment.  Pasquale came over after a bit and touched me on the shoulder and said “you made this visit out of love”.

…………………………
“Pasquale, mio amico, if you are reading this I want to say that you have been kindness itself in guiding me here and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Grazie mille.”

The rest of the visit was not quite a blur but it was a very detailed personal guided tour of a place that Pasquale is justifiably very proud.

We took photos of course and I will work on them when I get home and make sure Pasquale has copies.

In the main hall we met Vincenzo Castaldo who has written a book about the making of the Errol Flynn movie “Crossed Swords”.  It was filmed in Castello Lancellotti.  When I found the secret door in the Library, Pasquale showed me the hidden courtyard in which the movie “promo” picture of Flynn was taken. 

The family crest is in many places and it was all explained to me but space does not permit all the details. On the right is the only thing the Canadians apparently left at the Castello, which is a fireplace modelled on a Scottish fireplace.  It certainly fits in with the eclectic nature of the Castle.

The Lancellotti family were evicted from there home in order to make room for the Central Mediterranean Force (CMF) School of Signals.  They probably didn’t know until my visit that part of the war effort played in the Castello was the deception known as Operation Penknife.

We left the Castello and I was invited to have lunch with Pasquale and Daniela but first we had to go to his office because a reporter was interested in hearing my story.  It was also the case that Pasquale had to slip away for a bit to see the family of a friend who had passed.  It wasn’t my first interview with the press in my career but I was pleasantly surprised at how the young voice on the phone seemed so eager to hear the story of my journey and my visit to Lauro.

One very large pizza and one not so large birra later and we headed for a pasticceria where I was given the local special cream filled pastry and a final toast with a coffee.

A hug goodbye and I’m again on the road.

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