WW2 Italian RAF Dog Tag

[lisat]

Hi, can anyone help me interpret this WW2 dog tag that my Father, who served in WW2 in the RAF in Italy, kept all his life, and I have found again after thirty years. I always thought it had belonged to an Italian friend he made whilst he was in Italy, and assumed he was killed, but would have thought it would have been returned to his family, not kept by a friend. I would love to return it to his family, but have no idea how. Any ideas? It reads;  "AER."500958(C) Leonardi Angelo di Bernardo e di Pastore Elodia Paterno' (Catania). Can anyone understand it, I guess the airman was Angelo Leonardi. I'd be very grateful for any help.

[Certacito]

Not sure why you think it would be RAF.  Perhaps he found it on an old Italian air base?  AER might be short for Aeronautica the Italian air force?

[lisat]

I didn't explain very well. I think his friend was in the Italian airforce and that this was his dog tag.
I assumed that he had been killed, and that my father kept his dog tag as a memento.

[ABradley]

Hi,
There is a place called Paterno near Catania in Sicily. I looked up a web site showing WW2 Italian war dead but no trace.  All I got so far.

Andrew

[lisat]

Thanks Andrew, kind of you to look for me.Worth a try.

[diplodicus]

Catania was/is a military airfield.

[guest260925]

I've seen this two years after posting but offer a suggestion if nothing has been done yet.

I made out the following details (I think!):

Angelo Bernardi, AER 500958(C)
Father: Bernardo Bernardi
Mother; Elodia Pastore
City: Paternò, CT (Catania)

As someone has mentioned AER is the Italian Air Force. Paternò has under 48,000 inhabitants and is about 20km from Catania. It's certainly possible there are some relatives/descendents still there.

I looked up Catania's State Archives' address details to pass on but really you'd need to write in Italian and I wouldn't guarantee the Italian postal system. I also looked through archives of those fallen in battle from that region but couldn't find his name.

If you're in England you could write an initial letter to the Italian Embassy in London and include a photo of the dog tag. I'm not sure if an email would get a lot of attention but that's up to you, and you could attach the photo.  One would hope the Embassy could intervene and help return the dog tag. If you live in London you could make an appointment and hand it over personally.

The link to the Embassy is http://www.amblondra.esteri.it/ambasciata_londra/it/ambasciata/gli_uffici

This person is second in charge:

Vincenzo Celeste
Vice Capo Missione
sm.amblondra(at)esteri.it
 
Embassy of Italy
14, Three Kings Yard
London W1K 4EH

I see there is a section in the Embassy called the Office of the Defence Attaché. It might be useful to contact the specific attaché for the Air Force:

Col. Mauro Gabetta
Addetto per l’Aeronautica
Email: londra.addetto2@smd.difesa.it
Tel: +44 20 72594600

Perhaps the address could be this in English:

Col. Mauro Gabetta
Attaché for the Air Force
Office of the Defence Attaché, Embassy of Italy
7-10 Hobart Place
London SW1W OHH

 
Hope this is of some help. It would be really nice to see the dog tag (piastrina, in Italian) be returned to Angelo Bernardi's relatives.





 

[guest260925]

Sorry, somehow I wrote the wrong surname. This should be better:


Angelo Leonardi, AER 500958(C)
Father: Bernardo Leonardi
Mother: Elodia Pastore
City: Paternò, CT (Catania)

[lisat]

Nina, how amazing that you should go to so much trouble, and after all this time. I have got no further with it. So, I will try your suggestion,thank you and contact the Embassy. It's worth a try. I would love to return it to the family concerned. Thank you, your information is very helpful. I will let you know how I get on.
Lisa