Ron Dix and Robert Dickinson were prisoners of war together in Italy. After their escape from PG 112/4 Turin they were sheltered by the Bauducco family in Gassino for 13 months.
They left the Bauducco home to fight with the Italian Aldo Brosio partisan brigade. Ron was killed while fighting with the brigade in December 1944; Robert lost his life in a fight in March 1945.
Last week, Robert’s nephew Steve sent me pictures of Ron he received from Ron’s niece, Gina Siddons, who lives in Ellesmere Port, UK.
Until now the sole photograph I had seen of Ron was a headshot accompanying a 1999 article in the Newport News (Essex, England). In the article, written by Ron’s sister Dorothy (see “News of Ron Dix Comes to Light”), we have an intimate glimpse into Ron’s early years—the life of a boy and young man who was joyful, active, and popular in his school and community.
Gina’s five snapshots are a perfect complement to Dorothy’s story.
As Steve writes, they show us “Ron Dix in civvy life before the war … probably taken in the Safron Waldon area,” where the Dix family lived.
Giovanni Di Valentino rests in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England. Image courtesy Find a Grave.
In July 2020, I wrote a post titled “Seeking John Jarrett’s Italian Father,” which concerns an Italian POW who was interned on a farm in East Sussex during WWII.
Last month, I received a message from Patricia Jones, who had come across the post while doing an online search. She wrote, “I live in Mountfield in East Sussex and look after Mountfield’s archive, whilst also researching local topics. During lockdown I researched all the names on our War Memorial and wrote biographies of them all.
“I’m currently putting together an exhibition/display for Mountfield’s VE Day celebrations on 10th May, which was why I was checking for any more information about the Prisoners of War here and came across the Jarrett story this afternoon.
Last November Willman King’s daughter Rena Buhr met Donato Giancola. As an escaped POW in Italy during WWII, Willman was protected by Donato’s family. Gian Paolo Ferretti (left) arranged their meeting.Willman King
Willman, from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was inducted into the service in October 1941. After training in the U.S., he was sent overseas. He participated in the November 1942 Allied invasion of North Africa, and the following month was captured in Tunisia. He was interned in PG 59, from which he escaped in September 1943. Like many other escapees, Willman was cared for by local Italians.
Willman’s son Joseph was my contact when I wrote those five posts. Confident that Joseph and I had exhausted all the material there was to share about Willman, I didn’t expect to hear further from Willman’s family. So I was surprised in September to hear from Rena Buhr, one of Willman’s daughters.
”I am preparing to visit Italy in early November,” Rena wrote. ”I would love to have any insight into a visit to Camp 59—what to expect and amount of time to explore.” We began an exchange of emails. She used the word “pilgrimage” to describe the trip.
In my 2020 post A Haven in Smerillo, I shared a story about the sheltering of two escaped POWs by a remarkable woman, Letizia Galiè in Del Gobbo, a widow with six children.
The story of Letizia Del Gobbo’s heroism came to me from her grandson Marco Ercoli. When Marco contacted me, he recalled that the family simply referred to the two escapees as “Michele” and “Beo.”
Letitia Del Gobbo carrying gathered firewood
Marco recalled that “Beo” had years ago returned to Smerillo with his wife, Nadine. The 1990 homecoming was deeply emotional for both the American couple and everyone in Smerillo—both family and older neighbors. In relaying the story, Marco described the event best as he could from memory—taking a degree of creative liberty to enliven it with recreated conversations and detail.
The only evidence of the visit was a photograph of the American couple with Marco’s uncle Antonio and Antonio’s wife Viola, with a notation on the back: “Nadine and Bill.” That made it clear that the man they called “Beo” was Bill, or William.
“Michele” in English would be Michael, and Marco’s uncle Antonio, who was a teenager when his mother sheltered the POWs, confirmed that “Michele” was American serviceman Michael Rotunno.
Since then, in spite of delving into archives, no further information about Bill and Michael came to light until last March, when I discovered that after the war Letizia had submitted a claim to the Allied Screening Commission requesting compensation for sheltering POWs. From the U.S. National Archives (NARA) I ordered a digital copy of Letizia’s helper claim.
The claim turned out to be a goldmine of information.
Pte. David Garcia, 1/4 Battalion, Essex Regiment, was deployed to North Africa during WWII, captured near Mersa Matruh in June 1942, and interned in PG 102 L’Aquila, Italy. After the September 1943 Italian Armistice, David and the other prisoners left the camp.
David and another escaped prisoner, Patrick Callan, made their way to San Giacomo, where they were protected by the Umberto Capannolo and his family. We don’t know if Patrick was interned in PG 102, or whether David met him while on the run.
“It was not safe for David and Patrick to stay with Umberto’s family, so his sons established a bivouac for them in a cave at the edge of some woods,” said Roger Bickmore (husband of David’s granddaughter Miranda). “They then considered it to be too close to the road and found another cave deeper in the forest.”
During the past year, Roger has been hard at work tracking Patrick.
Here are the recent developments in Roger’s own words:
The Other Man in the Cave: My Search for Patrick Callan
“Last February I shared the story my of meeting the Capannolo family in L’Aquila the previous summer with my mother-in-law, Linda. They gave shelter to her father, David Garcia, for several months after the armistice in 1943. Their identity was only revealed when Linda discovered an address on a letter from the Red Cross in David’s old tin box decades later. The opportunity to finally thank these wonderful people proved to be as memorable as we had hoped.
“My report of this joyous occasion, however, ended on a cliffhanger of sorts. We had not expected to be told that David had a companion hiding with him in the hill caves behind their farm: apparently a soldier from South Africa called Patrick. On hearing this surprising news, I decided to find out who he was and whether he had surviving relatives. With so little to go on I was unsure where to start. Thankfully, Anne Copley of the Monte San Martino Trust pointed me in the direction of the American National Archives (NARA).
Not too long ago Steve Dickinson connected with the family of Ron Dix.
It was a happy reunion of sorts. Steve’s uncle Robert Dickinson and Ron Dix were prisoners in Italy together, and after their escape from PG 112/4 Turin they were sheltered by the Bauducco family for 13 months. After the 13 months, they left the Bauducco home and fought with the Aldo Brosio partisan brigade. Both Robert and Ron were killed fighting with the partisans.
The Dix family has shared photos and information about Ron with Steve.
A newspaper item in the Saffron Waldon Weekly News (18 September 1942) reads:
MISSING NEWPORT BOY Now a Prisoner in Italy
Corpl. R. L. Dix of the Essex Regiment, M.E.F., of Cambridge Road, Newport, who was recently officially reported missing since July 1st, is now officially reported a prisoner in Italian hands. His mother has received a postcard and a letter from him stating that he is well and uninjured and that he has already received Red Cross parcels. He was drafted to the Middle East at Christmas, 1940. Corporal Dix, who was educated at the Boys’ British School and later at the East Anglian Institute, was before joining-up in April, 1940, acting head gardener at the county gardens, Chelmsford. He has played football for Walden Town, is a keen sportsman, and declared his intention of continuing his studies in horticulture through the medium of the Red Cross.
Carola Bauducco and her husband Giovanni and their daughter Maria, whom they called Ginetta
In a claim received by the Allied Screen Commission, Italy, on 1 October 1945, Maria Bauducco Di Giovanni (Giovanni’s daughter) of A. Diaz 29, Gassino (Torino) requested compensation for the sheltering of Corporal Ronald Leonard Dix (service number 6022221) and Gunner Robert Dickinson (service number 896957).
The applicant was Maria Concetta Bauducco, who was called Ginetta, or Gina. Ginetta/Maria was one of the daughters living at home when the Bauducco family sheltered Ron and Robert.
The value of the assistance was determined by the commision to be:
Value of food and lodging supplied: 54,270 lire Value of clothing supplied: 6,000 lire Money advanced: — General unspecified assistance (GSA): 730 lire Total: 61,000 lire
As evidence two postcards are included in the claim. Both are addressed to Gent. Signora Bauducco of Via A. Diaz, Gassino, Torino, and they express holidays wishes. The cards are signed Ron and Robert. As the cards are postmarked with the same date and location, we can assume Ron and Robert were together at the time they were sent.
In her claim, Maria noted, in Italian:
“I have received a card dated December 18–19, 1944; the prisoners were led away by my father and entrusted to the partisan Carlo, who to the present day resides in Castelnuovo Don Bosco; I also am acquainted with him. The two English prisoners were brought away owing to the threats of the Germans. Germans occupied my courtyard.”
According to Maria’s claim, food and lodging were provided to Robert and Ron from 10 September 1943 until 18 October 1944. According to the application “complete clothes” were also provided for both Robert and Ron.
An appendix in the claim mentions that both Ron Dix and Robert Dickinson were killed while fighting with the partisans.
Appendix A of the application reads: “Cpr. Dix & Gnr. Dickinson were killed by the Fascists while fighting with the Partisans. They had been staying at a house in GASSINO for 13 months. This is evidently claimant’s house, as no one else has claimed for these two P/W. These details have been given by T/18033 Drv. BROWN E. The postcard Robert sent to Maria reads: “Touti saluti e Buone Feste—Robert” [Best regards and Happy Holidays].The postcard Ron sent reads: “Ricorrendo te feste di invio i miei saluti fini sinceri—Ron” [With the arrival of these holidays I send you my sincere greetings].Tranquil landscapes are featured on the fronts of Robert and Ron’s postcards.
A full index of Italian claimants requesting compensation for assisting escaped Allied POWS or evaders during World War II is available on the U.S. National Archives (NARA) website.
Steve Dickinson (left) and his sister Jane visit in Italy with Saverio Rodi, son of Ginetta Bauducco. The Bauducco family sheltered their uncle Robert for 13 months during the war.
Last year I described in a post titled “Robert Dickinson—A Banner Year for Discovery” how Steve Dickinson was gratified to receive fresh information about the circumstances of his uncle Robert’s death. Robert died fighting with the Italian partisans in March 1945.
However, Steve still longed to meet descendants of the Italians who were protective of Robert in his final months of his life.
In 2009—not long after I met Steve—he told me that he had tried to find descendants of Ginetta “Gina” Bauducco, a woman whose family he believed had sheltered Robert in her home on Via Armando Diaz in Gassino, Italy.
Steve created flyers with information about Robert and a picture. “Spent some time in the village where Robert was hidden and left some of the fliers in various places,” Steve wrote to me. “Several shops, including the pharmacy, said they would put them in their windows. Also, left many in post boxes on Via Armando Diaz.”
Steve’s email address was on the flyer; disappointingly, he received no responses. In 2023 he once more attempted a search, this time with the assistance of a local journalist and a piece in the local newspaper; again there were no responses.
The last camp where Robert was interned was PG 112/4 Turin, where 126 English soldiers were tasked with construction of the Cimena Canal.
Shortly after the Italian armistice was signed Robert and his friend Ronald Dix escaped the camp. The next day they encountered the Bauducco family, who took them into their home.
When American soldiers from PG 59 turned up in Falciano just days after their escape from the camp in September 1943, they were welcomed warmly by the residents of the entire village. In the weeks to come help was provided by 17 families. The coordination of this effort was undertaken by Saturnino Brandimarte, a captain of Italy’s Royal Army, who was now serving as the village schoolteacher.
Although the individual families filed Allied Screening Commission claims requesting compensation for their assistance given to the POWs, Captain Brandimarte himself filed a highly detailed report with the ASC to bolster these claims.
Note that although there are frequent references to six prisoners, two others—Ira Powers and Jack Hayes—also received help in Falciano. Ira and Jack left sooner than the others and succeeded in crossing the Allied lines. The other six were recaptured.
Antonio Ferretti (seated, far right, with handlebar mustache) with a few of the villagers of Falciano. Falciano had a population of 110 residents in 1940. Today the village has 15 residents.
My good friend Gian Paolo Ferretti, who lives in Ascoli Piceno, was born in Falciano—a small village within the comune of Acquasanta Terme, Italy. His family moved from Falciano in 1975, when Paolo was very young.
Paolo’s great grandfather was one of many Falciano villagers who assisted a group of escaped POWs—including Keith Argraves—who turned up in their village in the fall of 1943.
“American soldiers who were escaped prisoners from Camp 59 were given refugee in my small village. Tales of them are becoming legend,” Paolo wrote. “A cave/stable where they slept is on the property of my family. The book Keith Argraves, Paratrooper has been the start of all my research.”
I asked Paolo about the spelling of the village name, because on today’s maps the village is spelled Falciano, but Keith Argraves refers to it as Falgiano. Paolo answered, “In the past the village name was Falgiano, now Falciano. These are changes in the language. Also, those with the name Brandimarte now spell it Brandimarti.” (As you will see, Captain Saturnino Brandimarte figures prominently in this village rescue saga.)
“The soldiers were in a wood of chestnuts. They slept in a cave or stable on the property of my family. During the day they came to the village and stayed with local people. The soldiers helped with farm work.
“One of those villagers was my great grandfather Antonio Ferretti. The prisoners usually talked with him, because Antonio once went to work in the U.S.—in Pittsburgh—during the 1908–1914 period.
Camp 59 Survivors 