Location of PG70, Monturano

[Anydogsbody]

Ian, I think we have communicated before but I've only just seen your recent post. I actually have a signed copy of your dad's book.

It fascinates me that my original post and everything that has flowed from it has now been read more than 36,000 times.

Delighted to hear the news about PG70 Monturano. I hope I'll get a chance to visit it again once it has been developed.

[Antony1977]

I’m researching my fiances grandfather Reg Coley who we have found was a pow here and escaped 9/12/43 ( family story says he tried to escape in a boat but was recaptured) does anyone use “what3words” app to locate the exact location? I’ve put the address in from an earlier post but it brings up a rural place

[Anydogsbody]

Hi Antony

Yes, the earlier location was incorrectly noted in the national records office and is a rural site. If you look further in the thread the correct address in Fermo is given. Put that into Google Maps and it will drop you right on it. Good luck

[Michele Paoletti]

Hi, this is the exact location of PG70 Monturano https://maps.app.goo.gl/k46ZpfQy8aMtGP4C9. I'm near and I visited this place to take some photos and reconstruct the history. Near this camp, there is also a railway station (called Monturano-Rapagnano) it was part of the Porto San Giorgio-Amandola railway and connected the sea (starting from Porto San Giorgio city) with the mountains (ending in Amandola city). Today the area is being revalued with a project that is partly destroying the existing warehouses but a small part of the structure will be dedicated to a museum in memory of the dead during WW2.



Here you can find other info: https://www.facebook.com/pg70prisonercamp

I’m researching my fiances grandfather Reg Coley who we have found was a pow here and escaped 9/12/43 ( family story says he tried to escape in a boat but was recaptured) does anyone use “what3words” app to locate the exact location? I’ve put the address in from an earlier post but it brings up a rural place

[Anydogsbody]

My father was in Compound 2, don't know which building that is. Sorry to hear it's being redeveloped but that's progress. At least they're honouring its history with a museum. Thanks for your post.

When does work begin?

[WelshGirl60]

Well this has been interesting!
Prompted by meeting a resident local to me in Kent UK whose mother is from Ferme I have stumbled across this conversation.
The Red Cross record says that my dad was in PG70 ( I knew he was a POW in Italy), so at least I know where it is. I can see a trip coming on. Sadly he did in 1972, when I was 12, so I had very little information about his war years and have had to piece things together myself ( Mum died when I was young as well). What doesn't seem to stack up is that he was released ( they through they were being taken to be shot) in March 1943 and returned back to the UK but some of your relatives still seems to be escaping in September 1943, when he was back at Medical School in Liverpool

[WelshGirl60]

I have just discovered this fascinating discussion. My late father was taken a prisoner of war in 1942. He was an Ordinary Telegraphist serving in the Royal Navy on HMS Sikh. When it was blown out if the water at Tobruk in September 1942, he was taken POW by the Italians and my understanding is that he was there for about six months until he and some of his fellow POWs were exchanged for Italian POWs. Going through his papers, I found a letter from the Red Cross about his capture dated 1942, and three postcards he sent to his parents from the camp. The details on the cards allowed me to identify his camp, the compound in which he was kept (Comp. 3) and brought me to this interesting forum. My father’s memories of this time were naturally not happy, and he rarely spoke of it - although latterly I did manage to get him to make a voice recording of his memories for me. I believe food was extremely short for the prisoners and the guards. I still have the spoon dad made from wire and the lid from a food tin. I am very excited to be able to identify, via this forum, the actual location of where he spent those years. I will share the four documents here (when I have compressed them!) in case they may be of interest to the other contributors.

This is my father's story exactly, except he was a Coder on HMS Sikh. He swam away from Tobruk when the ship was bombed and was in the water for 6 hours but was picked up by the Italians