The 67th Anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino

[Thomas the Tank Engine]

Hello guys,
Is anyone of you going to Italy next week? The main ceremony (together with a burial of Irena Anders) will be held on Saturday, May 21, at The Polish War Cemetery. Maybe some of us could meet there incidentally?
Regards,
Tom

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi Tom,

Believe me, I’d love to be there.

. . . burial of Irena Anders) will be held on Saturday, May 21, at The Polish War Cemetery. . .

I hadn’t heard about the formal burial.

Here’s a short bio of Irena Anders’ taken from the obituaries section of The Independent of Thursday, December 9, 2010

Lives Remembered: Irena Anders

By Maria Zulawski
Thursday, 9 December 2010

Poles in the UK and around the world are mourning the loss of one of their greatest patriots from the Second World War. Irena Renata Anders, who died on 29 November at the age of 90, was the widow of the Polish general Wladyslaw Anders and an actress and singer who not only captured hearts but marched alongside Polish soldiers.

Following the Russian-Polish military agreement in 1941, General Anders was released from the Lubianka prison and asked to form an army from the Polish soldiers being similarly released from gulags in Siberia. Irena, (using her stage name of Renata Bogdanska) was there as part of the "Polish Parade", a theatrical company keeping spirits high among the new army as it marched through Russia to the the shelter of the Middle East, all the way to the decisive victory for the Allies at Monte Cassino in 1944.

Under the leadership of General Anders the Poles, secured a hard-won victory on the Italian mountain. And it was Irena Anders who is said to have first sung "Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino" ("Red Poppies on Monte Cassino"), written in the midst of the fighting in honour of those who lost their lives. Her beauty was famed and her talent was well remembered by those who were there: Polish veterans recal her singing to them on the back of trucks as they moved across war-torn Europe.

Irena – who was born Irena Renata Jarosiewicz in 1920 near Olomouc in the present-day Czech Republic – continued to dedicate her life to Poland after the war, sharing her joy of singing in an extensive theatrical career and humbly accepting the duties of her role as unofficial "first lady" of Poland. She worked tirelessly to promote the advancement of the Polish people and culture. Her death is a closing chapter in the story of those Poles who fought their way back to freedom and democracy through battle and through song.

[GFC]

YouTube - Stare tango : U

YouTube - (1946) Wielka droga [La Grande strada] 01/10

[StefanM]

Link: Dig WW2 is at Cassino filming for BBC series

"This week we start the first major piece of filming for Dig WW2 when we depart for Italy to film a group of local archaeologists who are currently working on a system of German bunkers near Monte Cassino. I will be Tweeting about the digs during this week on my Twitter Feed but obviously can’t say much more at present. Dig WW2 is a new series for BBC NI made by 360Productions, and will be presented by Dan Snow."

[Thaddeus]

I am staying in Rome through December. Today I passed by the abbey on the way to Napoli. I want to go to Monte Cassino really bad and see the battlefield! Do any of you know someone to get in contact with to get a good tour?

[jwp]

you could try here : HOME


john.

[Thaddeus]

Thanks John!!!!

[jwp]

no problem !, if you visit post some details, I want to visit too as my father served there with the british 78th div !,
all the best ,
John.

[Thaddeus]

I will definitely make a post. I am busy right now because of work during the week but I believe that I will be going within the next couple of weekends. Danila has already responded back to me. For a normal 6 hour tour it cost 150 Euro. If you want to have a 1 on 1 tour and see your own points of interest it is 400 Euro.

[jwp]

I will definitely make a post. I am busy right now because of work during the week but I believe that I will be going within the next couple of weekends. Danila has already responded back to me. For a normal 6 hour tour it cost 150 Euro. If you want to have a 1 on 1 tour and see your own points of interest it is 400 Euro.

great stuff ! look forward to hearing how you go on!,
John.