Intervista BBC
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DEAD INTERESTING PEOPLE
Traduzione dall'inglese del programma effettuato dalla B.B.C. nel settembre del 2006 e messo in onda sulla B.B.C. in prima serata il 16 Dicembre 2006- Durata 28.50 minuti
Dopo una lunga ricerca i nostri esperti devono scegliere solo una persona su cui investigare. " Bene, io penso che dovremmo interessarci di John Percival Morgan. John Percival
Morgan è un grande nome gallese ed era un eroe di guerra. Immaginate tutti questi documenti. Abbiamo l'lmperial War Museum, l'Archivio Nazionale e i Registri di Servizio. E' morto solo nel 1968 così abbiamo una buona possibilità di trovare in parente vivo. Cosa vuoi dire esattamente eroe di guerra? Non volete saperlo?"
"Penso John Morgan senza dubbio. Con così tante informazioni. Interessanti e recenti e la possibilità di parenti vivi. Gallese!"
"Gli altri sono probabilmente altrettanto interessanti ma potrebbe essere difficile andare molto oltre il nome e una semplice storia, ma con una storia recente c'è probabilmente una possibilità di scoprire cosa ha fatto di lui un eroe."
Alla fine sono tutti d'accordo.
"John Morgan... .bene"
Come stanno procedendo i nostri esperti con la storia di John Morgan? Juliet ha rintracciato il certificato di morte di John Morgan mentre Cat e Martin sono stati occupati con ulteriori ricerche nell'archivio.
" Così sappiamo che John Morgan è morto nel 1968 a 51 anni. Vuoi dire che ha combattuto nella Seconda guerra mondiale? Non so nulla della Seconda Guerra Mondiale e quindi ho bisogno di aiuto."
"Potrebbe essere stato uno delle migliaia di gallesi che sono stati arruolati. Non c'era nessun grande entusiasmo per la guerra come nel 1914, ma c'era una specie di truce determinazione sul fare ognuno il proprio dovere e sconfiggere il fascismo. Per alcuni del sud del Galles c'era anche la possibilità di sfuggire alla coda della miseria e vedere un po' di mondo."
Dal certificato di morte di John Morgan Juliet ha un indirizzo della sua vedova, Barbara.
"Dunque, ho il certificato di morte che mostra l'indirizzo della vedova di John Percival Morgan e questa è la casa. Vediamo cosa scopro."
"Pronto, è l'Ufficio del Registro dell'Esercito?"
Nel frattempo Martin ha rintracciato la documentazione di John Morgan nell'Esercito ma c'è un problema.
"No, come mi immaginavo possono dare la documentazione solo a un parente stretto."
"Bene, speriamo che Juliet stia avendo più fortuna con la casa che era descritta nel certificato di morte."
"Ho parlato con le persone nella casa e purtroppo Barbara Morgan è morta alcuni mesi fa. Dovremo tentare un'altra linea di investigazione."
Ma per una porta che si chiude una si apre e i nostri esperti ritornano agli archivi in cerca di un annuncio mortuario o di documenti che possa dirci se c'è un parente vivo e che viva vicino.
John Morgan è ancora un mistero e quindi è il nostro prossimo personaggio che ha portato almeno alcuni dei suoi segreti dalla tomba.
"Pronto, sto cercando Keith Morgan."
"Il cui padre era John Percival Morgan No,non è Lei."
I nostri esperti hanno scovato un annuncio mortuario per John Morgan che menziona suo figlio Keith che vive in questa zona. È il momento di consultare l'elenco telefonico.
" Keith Morgan, che potrebbe essere il figlio di John Percival Morgan. Non Lei? Va bene, grazie."
Senza avere accesso agli archivi militari, rintracciare il figlio è l'unica speranza di scoprire la sua storia.
"No. Bene proverò il successivo. Grazie."
"Mi dispiace disturbare ma sto cercando Keith Morgan."
" Per caso John Percival Morgan era suo padre? Oh lo era! Fantastico! Lo abbiamo trovato! Oh, si, grazie, ho bisogno di parlare con lei. Sto facendo delle ricerche per un programma televisivo."
Finalmente un vero passo avanti. Domani avrò la possibilità di incontrare il figlio di John Morgan, Keith.
"Posso vedere una foto di suo padre?"
"Certamente. Questa è una foto di lui presa in Italia fuori della sua tenda quando diventò Ufficiale e questa è un'altra foto, credo prima di diventare Ufficiale. "
Sa abbiamo fatto delle ricerche sulla storia di suo padre. Cosa le ha raccontato della guerra?
" Tutto si è chiarito nel 1966. Mio padre aveva deciso che voleva portarci in Italia per tre settimane e mia madre non gli aveva detto che era già in contatto con l'Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche per vedere se riusciva a trovare questo piccolo villaggio chiamato Civitella, non lontano da Firenze, nel Chianti. Mio padre le aveva raccontato di Civitella e del periodo che aveva passato lì durante la guerra. Aveva avuto molte emozioni lì e lei pensava che gli avrebbe fatto bene ritornare. Siamo arrivati a Civitella una domenica mattina e mio padre disse che avremmo dovuto andare dentro la chiesa, e così facemmo. A sinistra dell'altare c'era una cappella e c'era una vecchia cornice dorata con una vecchia foto in bianco e nero e una fiamma perpetua a Iato. Sorprendentemente era una foto di mio padre e dei suoi commilitoni. Ero proprio impressionato, avevo solo 16 anni e così dissi a mio padre "dovresti passare a salutare qualcuno". Ma lui rispose "no, dobbiamo andare" e semplicemente ce ne siamo andati e questa è la fine. Due anni dopo è morto."
Ci racconti cosa ha scoperto su suo padre nel periodo della guerra.
"Era nei Corpo Servizi del Royal Army e la sua responsabilità principale era di spostare le munizioni sui fronti, attraverso il Nord Africa. EI Alemein e su per la Sicilia, Monte Cassino e, per caso, arrivare in questo villaggio, Civitella. Era successo che, mentre gli Inglesi avanzavano, i partigiani italiani facevano del loro meglio per sostenerci e un giorno di giugno, tre partigiani litigarono con quattro soldati tedeschi in un bar nel villaggio e le cose andarono di male in peggio e i partigiani spararono a questi tedeschi. Così sfortunatamente nazisti e fascisti tedeschi furono coinvolti e arrivarono nel villaggio per la festa di SS. Pietro e Paolo nel giugno 1944. Fecero uscire dalla chiesa più di 160 uomini sopra i 16 anni e procedettero a ucciderli uno per uno per diverse ore davanti alle loro famiglie, e mio padre arrivò in questo villaggio poco tempo dopo." "Appena seppero di questo orribile massacro decisero che dovevano fare qualcosa e quindi chiesero ai soldati di contribuire con i loro pacchetti della Croce Rossa." "Le costruzioni erano a pezzi, c'erano corpi dentro che erano stati bruciati negli incendi, e anche il pozzo era stato inquinato dalle persone che vi erano state gettate dentro." "Erano rimasti solo donne e bambini, e così persero un sacco di tempo cercando di far funzionare di nuovo il pozzo, cercando di dare loro una qualche forma di elettricità e anche solamente aiutando a seppellire le persone perché ce n'erano così tante."
"Sette mesi passarono fino a Natale e loro continuarono ad andare avanti e indietro portando aiuti come potevano."
"E dopo tutto questo e tutto quello che aveva visto, se ne andò dall'Esercito dopo la guerra e ritornò a una vita normale?"
"Si, tornò a casa e tornò a lavorare alla stessa agenzia nella stessa banca in cui era stato cassiere tutti quegli anni prima, come se niente fosse successo."
E' una storia incredibile di un impiegato di banca che lontano da casa aiutò un intero villaggio a tornare in piedi. John Morgan fu aiutato da tutti gli uomini sotto il suo comando, ma dove sono adesso? Uomini come Pop Q'Shea, Donald Birkmire, uno dei migliori amici di John.
"E' il Museo del Royal Army Service Corps? Oh, salve mi chiedo se può aiutarmi."
Keith ha fatto una enorme quantità di ricerche sulla storia di suo padre ma non è riuscito a trovare traccia di nessuno del suo reggimento o del massacro di Civitella.
"E' la 498 Compagnia, forse ci sono alcuni membri nelle vostre liste o avete una lista dei vostri membri?"
Armati con i nomi del Reggimento il gruppo di esperti è sicuro di trovare più informazioni.
"Caporale Abraham, Soldato Taylor, Soldato Harding, Soldato Pilkngton"
Allora cosa ha scoperto il nostro gruppo su Civitella?
"L' Imperial War Museum ha un cortometraggio sulle tremende conseguenze spiacevoli del massacro e con quello una descrizione di quello che successe. Un centinaio di soldati tedeschi arrivarono alle 7 di mattina, e presero chiunque fosse per strada, li gettarono nelle case e chiusero le porte. Quindi ci fu un massacro organizzato, bombe a mano e granate furono gettate attraverso le finestre e le vecchie costruzioni vennero incendiate. Donne e bambini nelle case furono ridotti in pezzi o bruciati vivi. I paesani che avevano cercato rifugio in chiesa vennero tirati fuori e uccisi insieme ai tre preti i cui corpi furono bruciati nella strada.
"Proprio un orribile, orribile massacro"
"Ma non capisco, questo è il rapporto di sevizio di John Percival Morgan che Keith Morgan ha ottenuto, c'è ogni data e nome e posto dove è stato dislocato eppure non c'è assolutamente niente su Civitella, neanche una riga. E quando ho telefonato al Royal Logistic Corps Museum e anche al Royal Army Service Corps nessuno sapeva niente di questa storia anche se esistono questi documenti.
"E' davvero una sorprendente storia sconosciuta."
"Ma merita di essere raccontata."
"Certo, certo."
Dunque non c'è documentazione ufficiale dell'esercito delle azioni di John Morgan e del suo reggimento a Civitella.
Direi che siamo arrivati alla fine del nostro periodo a Cardiff e che adesso dobbiamo verificare quello che sappiamo.
E Cat, come va la storia della nostra ricerca dei commilitoni di John Morgan?
" Andando attraverso tutti i dettagli dell'anagrafe di Kew abbiamo potuto identificare molti membri del Battaglione e accertare alcune morti e alcuni parenti ma non siamo riusciti a trovare nessuno vivo per sentire la loro storia."
Ma in generale è stato un successo?
"Si, abbiamo trovato i parenti delle persone coinvolte."
"Quello che questa storia mi dimostra come storico è come grandi storie e grossi incidenti hanno un volto umano. Abbiamo potuto conoscere la storia di un singolo ma coinvolto in un terribile avvenimento che lo rende più reale e riporta il passato in vita."
Il gruppo di esperti ha rintracciato venti membri del reggimento ma purtroppo non ne ha trovato nessuno vivo. L'ultimo è morto nel 2004. Senza documentazione ufficiale e persone vive del Reggimento, sembra che Keith Morgan sia l'unico vivente rimasto a raccontare la storia di suo padre. Beh, non proprio!
Per la prima volta dalla morte di sua madre Keith ritorna a Civitella. Il villaggio non è molto cambiato ma dall'ultima visita di Keith, il Sindaco ha inaugurato una speciale Sala della Memoria.
"Come sta? Mi fa piacere rivederla."
"Benvenuto."
"Grazie molte."
"Devo mostrarle qualcosa che abbiamo fatto.
"La Sala della Memoria di Civitella. Per ricordare il massacro e suo padre. Andiamo a vederla?"
"Si, per favore. Grazie molte."
"Un fazzoletto macchiato di sangue con un buco di pallottola e un pacchetto di sigarette trovato in uno di questi poveruomini."
"Questa foto è quasi identica alla foto che mio padre fece, e sono sicuro che questa foto è una di quelle che mio padre fece nella chiesa. Hanno fatto davvero un magnifico lavoro."
"Questa è la foto del prete che era con i suoi parrocchiani dentro la chiesa
quando arrivarono i Nazi. Poteva scappare ma non lo fece, poteva uscire dal retro della chiesa ma rimase con la sua gente e fu fucilato con loro."
"Mio padre il Capitano John Percival Morgan aiutò la gente di Civitella dopo quel terribile massacro. Sono davvero felice di aver visto questa bellissima Sala della Memoria. I miei migliori auguri alla gente di Civitella."
"Il nostro paese, la nostra comunità è veramente grata al Capitano Morgan e alla sua famiglia. Il Capitano è stato un esempio per tutti, aiutando persone che avevano bisogno di aiuto."
Non lontano da Civitella, Keith va ad incontrare una sopravvissuta al
massacro, Lara Lucarelli. Neanche oggi è capace di ritornare al paese dove
fu testimone dell'assassinio di suo padre e suo zio.
INTERVISTA A LARA LUCARELLI LAMMIONI
(durata: circa un minuto)
Effettuata nel nostro Agriturismo a Malfiano a bordo piscina
"Vedemmo persone arrivare da Civitella, donne, e chiedemmo cosa era successo e ce lo dissero, tutti morti, tutti uccisi, tutti. Potete immaginare il nostro dolore."
Come le altre persone del paese Lara è piena di elogi per il Padre di Keith.
"In ogni modo il nome di suo padre è sempre vivo in Civitella. E lo sarà per sempre."
"Davvero grazie molte, Lara. Grazie."
"Grazie, per suo padre."
Sessanta anni fa i paesani organizzarono un concerto per i soldati per ringraziarli per tutto quello che avevano fatto.
" Credo che ci fossero cinquanta soldati qui e so da quello che la gente mi ha detto che Pop Q'Shea il Padre dovette tenere la truppa in riga, perché alcune delle ragazze che cantavano erano adolescenti, e i soldati erano stati lontani da casa per molto tempo e Pop Q'Shea andava in giro con il suo frustino da ufficiale per farli stare zitti e per farli smettere di fischiare."
Due ragazze che parteciparono al concerto erano Mafalda Caldelli e Alba Mirabello. Sessanta anni dopo cantano la stessa canzone per il figlio di John Morgan, Keith.
E' una storia notevole, un eroe sconosciuto la cui vita siamo stati capaci di ricostruire da una frase del Registro delle Cremazioni. In Cardiff non ci sono statue, lapidi, o placche per commemorare John Morgan. Nel suo Paese la storia era sconosciuta ma a 1100 miglia in un piccolo angolo dell'Italia la sua vita è ancora ricordata e celebrata. Nel 2001 Keith, sua madre Barbara e gli abitanti di Civitella parteciparono a una commovente cerimonia , dare il nome ad una strada. Costa Capitano John Percival Morgan.
"E' semplicemente bello, una cosa magnifica da vedere per un figlio."
"E' una magnifica, magnifica giornata."
E' stato un lungo viaggio di scoperta ma la storia di John Morgan è solo una delle tante che aspettano pazientemente di essere rivelate, non vediamo l'ora di scoprirle e di incontrare" Interessanti Persone Decedute".
Dead interesting people WEB.pdf (450,6 kB)
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Carissimi Lara, Giuseppe e tutta la famiglia,
sono tanto spiacente dovervi comunicare che nostra madre Barbara è morta lunedì 16 gennaio dopo la lunga lotta contro il cancro.
Vi prego, non siate tristi, ella vi vorrebbe felici, in ricordo dei meravigliosi momenti che ella ha passato con voi a Civitella.
Voi l 'avete resa così orgogliosa e felice per avervi potuto incontrare e scoprire quello che mio padre e i suoi amici poterono fare per Civitella in quel lontano 1944.
Mia madre si era molto affezionata a voi tutti e questo fu menzionato anche dal sacerdote al suo servizio funebre di martedì scorso.
Vi promettiamo di restare in contatto.
Io so che i pensieri di mia madre sono ancora con voi tutti.
Con tutto il mio affetto
Keith Morgan
Keith Morgan
Frogwell Cottage
22, Frogwell
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 ODQ
GRAN BRETAGNA
DEAD INTERESTING PEOPLE
TRANSCRIPT.
Settled peacefully around this graveyard should you care to look are a cross section of society, people who carne and went and whose names ring no bells at all. The only clues to their existence are the inscriptions on their graves or maybe a line or two in a cremation register, but those clues hold the key to some incredible stories, stories that until now have remained untold these are "Dead Interesting People".
Each week on "Dead Interesting People" we will be visiting graveyards across the country to reveal untold stories of people who have been buried or cremated there. Obviously we are not looking for famous names; we are looking for ordinary people with great and as yet hidden personal stories.
We are in Cardiff: the city whose docks exported the raw material of the Industrial Revolution around the world. While coal poured out of Cardiff Docks to every part of the British Empire, what poured in was people from over seventy countries. They carne in search of work and a new life and when that work and that life was over some would have been laid to rest here.
Today we are at Cathays Cemetery in the heart of Cardiff and we have three experts on the case who have taken up the challenge to investigate the history of one person associated with this place.
Those experts are:
Juliet Wood, professor of Welsh history from Cardiff University.
"Graveyards to me are a symbol of all the ways that we maintain contact with the people that go before us. We don't just put them in the ground we put memorials up, we put things on the memorials. They are a way to remind us of the people who went before".
Doctor Martin Jones, a specialist in modem history from Swansea University .
"Whenever I am in a graveyard it always reminds me of how little we know about the past, they are full of names and dates and behind everyone is a story that we simply do not know. Some will be heroic, some will be tragic, and some will be very ordinary. Graveyards are full of people from all walks of life.
Cat Whiteaway, an archivist with close knowledge of the burial records.
"I find it really fascinating that there are so many different occupations inscribed on the various headstones. It seems that a lot of people choose to use their headstone as a kind of advertising board and that they are advertising from beyond the grave. You know, come to my shop, and stay in my Hotel. Very strange".
The first task for our experts is to find a story.
"Lost off the coast of Japan on August 26th1908 aged 50 years".
"This one looks really interesting and this laurel tree that is here looks as if it might actually have been self seeded from a laurel wreath that was left"
"The late John Ings, a local preacher and temperance advocate".
"So here we are. We know it is sacred to Margaret but interestingly she was not buried here, this was a memorial to her".
And while the experts go off on the trail of today's mystery subject let me fill you in on some of the people already interred here. People whose stories have been documented, whose lives took them to the other side of the world or in this case up, up and away.
This is the Grave of Hernest T. Willows. As a dentist and a businessman he was not a success but as a pilot and a designer he really excelled. In 1910 Willows became the first man to fly from England to France. Not in an aeroplane but in one of these.
Airships were the great travel hope or the early twentieth century, a source of fascination and mystique. For Willows, pictured here, it was a chance to make his name in aviation history and to make some money. At 7 o'clock of the morning of the 4thof June1910, 20,000 people gathered to watch his first flight over Cardiff City Hall. But it was in his airship Willows 3 or City of Cardiff that Ernest made his historic cross channel flight. With no navigational equipment, Willows set out on his perilous journey on August 18th1910.
Perilous but successful, although the French were not quite as excited as Willows by his remarkable achievement. Shortly after landing he fled to avoid paying customs duty on his fuel. Willows was a true pioneer, with the First World War looming he could see the danger that Britain was faced from the skies. His solution, a steel roof over London. A steel roof over London! You cannot be serious. But he was, in 1913 Willows joined the Royal Flying Corps and designed a steel curtain to protect London.
The curtain was to be supported above the ground by his beloved airships. His invention was so effective that it was used again in World War 2.
Ironically like so many heroes and pioneers Willows had a tragic end. The gondolier of his airship became detached and he fell to the ground breaking his neck.
Of course not everyone had the luxury of a gravestone. Some were burled in unmarked graves, others cremated. But in the burial archive our experts will be able to research their story.
"Here we have William Simmons of Roath who died in 1883 at the age of 81, the oldest solicitor in the kingdom apparently."
The team also enlist the help of Sandra Evans the curator.
"Well there are just so many names. 1am not really sure where to start"
"I know this chap it was mentioned that he was a war hero when his widow went to the funeral".
"A war hero?"
"Yes."
"That sounds interesting and you don't know anything else?"
"No I am afraid not, he was not buried he was scattered in the gardens of remembrance so there won't be a memorial or headstone."
"Right, Margaret Mills, widow and Royal Nurse. So, Royal Nurse that one should be interesting."
"This is brilliant James Hann a nail inspector who died on the 6thJanuary 1900.1 want to know how you become a nail inspector."
After an exhausting search the experts now have to choose just one person to investigate.
"Well I really think we should do John Percival Morgan. John Percival
Morgan is a great Welsh name and he is a war hero. I mean, imagine all those documents. We have the Imperial War Museum, you have the National Archives, and you have got Service Records. I mean he only died in 1968 so we have got a good chance of finding a living relative. What exactly does war hero mean? Don't you want to know?"
"Yes it is a good question but I am intrigued by Samuel Sheldrick the
fifty year old who died off the coast of Japan at the start of the twentieth century. Was he the only one who died or did his whole ship go down? And Sheldrick is I think an East Anglian surname so he may have been part of a family that moved to South Wales to work in the coal boom or the shipping boom at the end of the nineteenth century."
"Well I think Margaret Mills is very interesting because here she is. We know her husband was buried elsewhere so she is on her own and according to the burial register she is not just a widow but A Royal Nurse. So what is a Royal Nurse? Is she associated with the Royal Family?"
"Is she from Wales though?"
"We don't know that."
"Is yours from Wales?"
"He certainly……"
"He died here but we don't know whether he was from here."
So who are our experts going to choose?
"I think John Morgan without a doubt. So much information to be had. Nice and recent, chance of a living relative. Welsh!"
"The other ones are probably just as interesting but it may be difficult to go much beyond the name and basic story, but with a recent one there is probably real potential to get into what made him a hero."
The team are finally agreed.
"John Morgan it is ….. good!"
Cathays cemetery is the final resting place of somebody's leg.
A leg belonging to one Samuel Chivers. It was buried here in April 1983 after he had been run over by a horse and cart. The rest of Chivers died some years later but for some reason he was never reunited with his leg! That really is a case of having one foot in the grave.
But how are our experts progressing with the story of the unknown John Morgan? Juliet is tracking down John Morgan's death certificate whilst Cat and Martin busy themselves with further research in the archive.
"So we know that John Morgan died in 1968 at the age of 51. Presumably that means that he fought in the Second World War? I know nothing about the Second World War so you are going to have to help me out here."
"Well he would have been one of many thousands of Welshmen who would have been in scripted or enlisted. There was none of the wild enthusiasm for war than there had been in 1914, but there was a kind of grim determination to do your bit and help to defeat fascism For some people from South Wales it was also a chance to escape the dole queue and see a bit of the world."
From John Morgan's death certificate Juliet has an address for his widow Barbara.
"Right, I have the death certificate and it shows the address of John Percival Morgan's widow and this is the house so I am going to see what I can find Out."
"Hullo, is that the Army Records Office?"
Meanwhile Martin tracks down John Morgan's army record but there is a problem.
"No, as I expected they can only release the Service Record to a next of kin."
"Well let's hope Juliet is having more luck at the house with the details of the death certificate then."
"Well I have spoken to the people in the house and sadly Barbara
Morgan died just a few months ago. So we have to go back to the drawing board and try another line of enquiry."
But as one door shuts another opens and our experts head back to the archives in search of an obituary or any records that might tell them there is a next of kin alive and hopefully nearby.
So John Morgan is still something of a mystery and so is our next character who has taken at least some of his secrets to the grave.
This is the final resting place of William LIewellyn Rhys an accountant from Cardiff Born in 1830 he reputedly not only served in the American Civil War but according to these lines from Tennyson he also took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimea.
Could he have really have taken part in both Campaigns? The Charge of the Light Brigade place in 1854 and the American Civil War began in 1861 so in fact he could have fought in both wars.
Records show that Llewellyn Rhys was on the muster role of the 11 th Hussars. Joining up at the age of 19 he is recorded as riding in the Charge of the Light Brigade as a private soldier. Re came through unscathed.
Surprisingly further research reveals a second William Llewellyn Rhys with a different regimental number. Re has a Service Record peppered with illness and disgraceful conduct. At the time of the Charge of the Light Brigade medical records have him in hospital with a chronic leg ulcer and an enlarged testicle.
Even this photograph of the survivors of The Charge of the Light Brigade offers no answer. Rhys was described as five foot eight tall with blue eyes. Impossible to pin point in this picture.
So was William Llewellyn Rhys the brave soldier who fought in the American Civil War and the Charge of the Light Brigade or the other William Llewellyn Rhys whose tales of his exploits in the Crimea allowed this inscription to be placed on his grave? I am afraid we are never going to know the answer.
"Hello I am looking for Keith Morgan."
"Whose father was John Percival Morgan. .. .... No, not you"
Our experts have tracked down an obituary for John Morgan which
mentions his son Keith who lives in the area. Its time to hit the phone books.
"Keith Morgan, who might be the son of John Percival Morgan. Not you? Alright, thank you."
Without access to John Morgan's military record finding his son is the only hope of unlocking his story.
"No. Oh well I will try the next one. Thanks."
"I am sorry to disturb you but I am looking for Keith Morgan."
It's tantalising stuff and all from a few lines in a cremation memorial book. Mind you when it comes to cremation South Wales has a most unusual claim to fame. William Price was a familiar figure not far from Pontypridd. Dressed in a white tunic, scarlet waistcoat, green trousers and a fox skin hat he would perform Druidic Rights on the rocking stone on the Common. He won a wider reputation as a physician and surgeon. He had several scrapes with the Authorities but his 1884 trial at Cardiff Assizes was to prove his lasting legacy.
He was accused of trying to burn the corpse of his infant son. Price' s acquittal was to establish the legality of Cremation in British Law and paved the way for the comprehensive Cremation Act in 1902.
Hugh crowds attended the Doctor' s funeral, when, in accordance with his detailed instructions his body was reduced to ashes. William Price was in his way a leader of men but what about our main character John Morgan?
"Was your father John Percival Morgan by any chance? Oh it was!
Brilliant! We have found him! Oh thank you, yes, I need to speak to you. I am doing some research for a television program."
At last a real breakthrough. Tomorrow I will finally get the chance to meet John Morgan's son Keith.
Can I see a picture of your father?
"Yes of course you can. This is a picture taken of him in Italy outside his tent when he became an Officer and this is another photograph of him, I believe before he became an Officer."
You know we have been researching your father' s story. What did he tell you about what happened to him during the War?
"Well it all unravelled for me back in 1966. My father had decided that he wanted to take us on a three week holiday to Italy and my Mother hadn't told him but she had already been in touch with the Italian Tourist Board to see if she cou1dfmd this little village called Civitella not far from Florence in "Chianti Land". My father had spoken to her about Civitella and the time he spent there during the War. He had quite an emotional time there and she thought it would be nice for him to go back. We arrived in Civitella on a Sunday morning and my father said we should go inside the church, which we did. On the left hand side of the main alter was a side chapel and there was an old gilt frame and an old black and white photograph in it with an everlasting flame burning just to one side. Amazingly it was a photograph of my father and his army mates. I was shocked, I was only sixteen years old at the time, and so I said to Dad." you really ought to say hullo to someone." But he said "no it's time to go" and we just drove away and that was the end. Two years later he died."
Tell us what you found out about you father's war times.
"He was in the Royal Army Service Corps and bis main responsibility was to move ammunition up to the fronts, all the way through North Africa. EI Alemein and then up through Scilly, Monte Casino and eventually arrived in this village, Civitella."
"What happened was, as the British were moving forward the Italian partisans were doing their best to support us at that time and one day in June three partisans fell out with four German soldiers in the café in the village and things went from bad to worse and these partisans shot these Germans. So then unfortunately Nazis and fascists, German fascists, got involved and they arrived in the village on the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in June 1944. They took out of the Church over 160 men over the age of sixteen and proceeded to annihilate them one by one over a period of several hours in front of their families, and my father arrived in this village very closely afterwards."
"Well as soon as they heard of this awful massacre they decide that they had to do something so they got together and asked the soldiers to contribute their Red Cross parcels." "The buildings were smashed to pieces, there were bodies inside the buildings that had been burnt in the fires, and even the well had been polluted by people being thrown into the well."
"There were only women and young children left, so they spent a lot of time trying to get the well to work again, trying to give them some form of electricity and just helping them to bury people because there was so many of them."
"Seven months went by until Christmas time and they kept going up and down taking supplies whenever they possibly could."
And after all this and everything that he had seen he carne out of the
Army after the War and returned to a normal mundane life?"
"He did, he carne back and went back to the same Branch of the same
Bank that he had been a cashier in all those years ago, as if nothing had happened!"
It is an amazing story of an unremarkable bank clerk who far away from home helped to get an entire village back on their feet. John Morgan was helped by all the men under his command, but where are they now?
Men such as Pop O'Shea, and Donald Birkmire, one of John's closest friends.
"Is that the Royal Army Service Corps museum? Oh Hullo I wonder if you can help me."
Well Keith has done a massive amount of research on his father' s story but he has drawn a blank in tracing anyone from his father' s Regiment or finding any records of the Civitella massacre.
"It's 498 Company, whether they might be any members on your list, or whether you have got a membership list perhaps?"
Armed with the names of the Regiment the team are determined to find out more.
"Lance Corporal Abrahams, Private Taylor, Private Harding, Private Pilkington. "
So what have the team discovered about Civitella?
"Well in the Imperial War Museum they have actually got a short film of the aftermath of the massacre and with it a description of what happened.
A hundred German soldiers arrived at 7am, grabbed everyone on the streets, threw them into the houses and closed the doors. Following this an organised massacre followed, grenades and mines were thrown through the windows after which many of the old buildings were set on fire. Women and children in the houses were either blown to bits or burnt alive. Villagers sheltering in the Church were dragged out and murdered together with the three Priests whose bodies lie burnt to a cinder in the street."
"It's an awful, awful, massacre."
"But what I don't understand, is this is the service record for John
Percival Morgan that Keith Morgan got supplied, every date and name and place where he was posted is all in there and yet there is not a single thing about Civitella, not a single thing. And also when I rang the Royal Logistic Corps Museum and also the Royal Army Service Corps nobody knew anything about it and yet all these documents exist."
"This really is an amazing untold story."
"It deserves to be told."
"It does, it does."
So there is no official army record of the actions of John Morgan and his Regiment in Civitella.
Well we are coming to the end of our time in Cardiff so what we need now is to check what we have all been up to. And Ca, what is the story so far of your search for old comrades of John Morgan?
"Going through all the details from the Public Record Office in Kew we were able to identify many members of the Battalion and then locate some of their deaths and also some of the people that were related to them but we haven't been able to find anyone living who was able to give us their story."
But generally speaking it has been a successful exercise?
"Yes it has; I mean we have found the relatives of the person involved."
"What it shows for me as an historian is how big stories and big incident shave a really human face. We have been able to look at the story of one individual but involved in a terrible event makes it more real and brings the past to life."
The team traced over twenty members of the Regiment but sadly they found no surviving members. The last recorded member of the Regiment died in October 2004. With no official army record and no surviving member of the Regiment, Keith Morgan, it seems is the only living person left to recount his father's story. Well not quite!
For the first time since the death of his mother Keith returns to Civitella. The village has hardly changed but since Keith' s last visit, the Mayor has opened a very special Memorial Room.
"How are you? It's good to see you again."
"Welcome. "
"Thank you very much."
"I have to show you something we have built. Salle De Memoria De Civitella. To remember the massacre and yourfather. We can go now to look at it?"
"Yes please. Thank you very much."
"Bloodstained handkerchief with a bullet hole and a packet of cigarettes found on one of these poor men' s bodies."
"The picture up there is almost identical to a picture my father took, and I am sure that picture is one of the photographs that he took inside the Church. They have done it really beautifully."
"This is the photograph of the Priest who was with the parishioners inside the Church when the Nazis arrived. He could have escaped but he never did, he could have got out of the back of the Church but he stayed with his people and was executed with them as well."
"My father Captain John Percival Morgan helped the people of Civitella after the terrible murders. 1aro so happy to have seen this beautiful Memorial. With my best wishes to the people of Civitella."
"Our village, our community is really grateful to Captain Morgan and all his family. The Captain was an example for everybody, to help the people who need help."
Not far from Civitella, Keith travels to meet a survivor of the massacre, Lara Lucarelli. Even today she is unable to return to the village where she witnessed the murder of her father and uncle.
"We see people coming from Civitella, women, and we said what has happened and they said, all dead, all killed, all of them. And so, well you can imagine our pain."
Like other villagers Lara is full of praise for Keith's father.
"But anyway the name of your father is always living in Civitella. It will be forever."
"Thank you so much Lara. Thank you."
"Thank you, for your father."
Sixty years ago the villagers put on a concert for the soldiers to thank them for every thing they had done.
"There were almost, I believe, fifty soldiers here and I know from what people in the village have told me, that Pop O'Shea the Padre had to keep the troops in order, because some of the young girls who were singing were teenagers, and of course our troops had been away from home for a long time and Pop O'Shea went around with his swagger stick to keep them all quiet and to stop the wolf whistles."
Two of the young girls who performed in that concert were Mathalda Caldetti and Alba Mirabello. Sixty years later they perform the same song for John Morgan's son Keith.
It is a remarkable story, an unsung hero whose life we have been able to piece together from a single line in a Cremation Register. In Cardiff there is no statue, no head stone, and no plaque, to commemorate John
Morgan. In his own country his story was unknown but 1100 miles away in a small corner of Italy his life is still remembered and celebrated. Back in May 200 l Keith, his mother Barbara and the people of Civitella witnessed a moving ceremony, the naming of a street. Costa Captain John Percival Morgan.
"It's just so nice; I mean what a wonderful thing for a son to see."
"It's a beautiful, beautiful day."
It's been quite a journey of discovery but John Morgan's story is just one of many waiting patiently to be revealed, we look forward to uncovering those stories and to meeting "Dead Interesting People."
