Northumbrian Gunner

Tuesday, 6 October 2026

Italy 2026 - Salerno War Cemetery

The Salerno War Cemetery was initiated in November 1943. It contains many burials of casualties of the landings and subsequent fighting in September 1943. The 59th General Hospital was in the vicinity of Salerno at the end of 1943, early 1944 which resulted in additional burials.

Salerno War Cemetery contains 1,851 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, which includes 109 that are unidentified. In addition there are two non-war graves and the grave of a Russian soldier. There is one commemoration from World War One.

Salerno War Cemetery | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery

Salerno War Cemetery IJ

Salerno War Cemetery
Cross of Sacrifice

Salerno War Cemetery
Stone of Remembrance

Salerno War Cemetery

Salerno War Cemetery
Unknown Soldier World War Two

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Salerno War Cemetery
Captain MJ Carroll
113 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Captain Michael John Carroll | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Captain P Gilder
172 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Captain Paul Gilder | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Gunner TW Williams
70 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Gunner Thomas William Jones | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Captain TR Logan
16th Battalion Durham Light Infantry

Captain Thomas Ralph Logan | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Lt AT Brunswick
Durham Light Infantry

Lieutenant Arthur Trotter Brunswick | CWGC

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In the north west corner of of the Salerno War Cemetery is a lone headstone of a casualty from World War One, Lascar Abdool Somode of the Indian Merchant Service.

Salerno War Cemetery
Lone World War One Grave (Beyond right hand tree)

Salerno War Cemetery
Lascar Abdool Somode
Indian Merchant Service

Lascar Abdool Somode | CWGC

Lascar Abdool Somode lost his life on Christmas Day 1917 when the SS Umballa was torpedoed off Cape Scala in Gulf of Policastro. The Umballa stayed afloat and was run aground and wrecked near the village of Praia a Mare, 100km south east of the Salerno War Cemetery. Abdoola was originally buried Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, San Giovanni a Piro, near the village of Praia a Mare. His grave was lost and he is now commemorated in the Salerno War Cemetery.

The inscription on his headstone reads;

BURIED AT THE TIME IN THE CHAPEL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, SAN GIOVANNI A PIRO, BUT WHOSE GRAVE IS NOW LOST. THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT

Italy 2026 - Salerno Landings

By mid 1943 Allied Forces were on the offensive having inflicted defeats on the Germans. On the Eastern Front the Germany Army had been defeated at Stalingrad and in North Africa Axis forces had surrendered in May 1943. In July the Russians launched an offensive at Kursk and Anglo-American forces landed in Sicily, quickly securing the island. The military pressure triggered the collapse of Benito Mussolini's regime and the establishment of a new government which began secret negotiations for peace with the Allies.

It was decided to open a second front in Europe, in Italy, to divert German Forces from the Eastern Front and from the forthcoming Normandy landings. The plan was to execute amphibious landings at Calabria (Operation Baytown) on the toe of Italy, followed by Salerno (Operation Avalanche) near Naples and Tarranto (Operation Slapstick) on the East coast.

Invasion of Italy September 1943

The first troops crossed the Messina Straight from Scicily on 3rd September 1943, secured a beachhead and began moving north. On the 8th December the Armistice of Cassibile was announced with Italy officially surrendering to the Allies. This news resulted in an immediate response from the Germans who commenced an occupation of Italy and the disarming of Italian forces. This action meant the Anglo-America Forces would now face German troops when they conducted their landings at Salerno and Taranto.

Gulf of Salerno

Gulf of Salerno IJ

Gulf of Salerno

Salerno Peninsular

The landings at Salerno were conducted by the American Fifth Army under the command of General Mark Clark. The American Sixth Corps would land in the South, the British Tenth Corps in the North. In the British sector the 46th Division on the left, and the 56th Division on the right would land on beaches South of Salerno. British commandos would secure Salerno, US Rangers securing vital mountain passes on the Solerno Peninsular.

Salerno British Landing Beach looking North

Salerno British Landing Beach looking South

At 03:30 on 9th September 1943 US troops landed on on the beaches without any preliminary bombardment to achieve tactical surprise. That failed and the American troops were subject to heavy artillery and machine gun fire.

In the British Sector a massive preliminary naval bombardment assisted in the British landings on the beaches. British Commandos and US Rangers seized their objectives.

Salerno Beach Landings
British troops and vehicles from 128 Brigade, 46th Division

Salerno Beach Landings
British Bren-carriers rolling off Landing Craft

Salerno Landings
British Commandos landing in Salerno

By the evening of the 9th September a fragmented beachhead had been established with a precarious 15km gap between the British and American sectors, split by the River Sele.

The Germans began reinforcing troops in the area and withdrew troops from the immediate shoreline into stronger defence lines on the high ground to prepare for a concentrated counter attack.

On the 12th September the Germans launched their attack on the Allied Bridgehead striking down the Sele River valley, exploiting the unlinked gap between the American and British sector. Over the next two days they were able to force the allies to retreat. American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division dropped into the beachhead to reinforce the line.

The Allied line held, and the German offensive stalled as Allied naval gunfire from battles ships and cruisers, together with concentrated artillery support, and air bombing exhausted the attacking troops.

Salerno Naval Gunfire support

On the 16th September German forces began a structured, fighting withdrawal north toward the first of a series of defensive boundary lines, the Volturno Line. The Americans and British linked up, securing the beach head and began preparing for offensive operations.

Salerno Beachhead IJ

Monday, 5 October 2026

Italy 2026 - Pompei

Pompei is an ancient Roman city near Naples that was buried under ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

Pompei 79 AD

Mount Vesuvius eruption 79 AD

In 1592 architect Domenico Fontana came across ancient walls covered with paintings and inscriptions when digging an underground aqueduct, though he kept his findings a secret. Over the years other findings came to light and in 1693 it was thought that the city of Pompei lay underneath.

After the discovery of Herculaneum in 1738, excavations started on the Pompei site, though it was not until 1763 that it was confirmed that the ruins being uncovered were indeed Pompei. Major excavations occurred when the French occupied Naples in 1799, which continued until the fall of Napoleon in 1815.

After that excavations progressed slowly until 1863 when archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli was placed in charge of the work. Fiorelli introduced a more scientific approach, dividing the city into nine regions (Reggio), numbering the buildings and documenting the findings.

Fiorelli's Pompei Regions (Reggio)

Pompei in 18th century

Over the ensuing years more and more of the 66 hectare site was uncovered. Work stopped during World War Two, resuming in 1951. By the 1990's two thirds of the city had been excavated.

Pompei Ruins and Mount Mount Vesuvius

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Pompei became an important trading location for goods arriving by sea for onward passage to Rome or Southern Italy along the Appian Way. It was a prosperous city with around 11,500 residents by the time of the eruption.

The city was enclosed within 3 km circumference of walls with entrances through at least seven gates. It's streets are laid out in a grid system with the main commercial artery, the Via del Abbondanza, running through the city from East to West. The principal North South Axis being the Via Stabiana.

Pompei Map

Along the paved streets were shops, markets, food counters, taverns, workshops as well as houses belonging to ordinary citizens and those of the more wealthy.

Pompei Streets

Pompei Tavern

Pompei Food Outlet

Pompei Bakery

Pompei Street Sign

Pompei Cross Street

An aqueduct provided water to the public baths, street fountains, and to many private houses and businesses.

Pompei Street Fountain

The streets of Pompei consisted of roadways with raised pedestrian walkways. The roadways also acted as drainage channels carrying rainwater and waste downhill out of the city. As the roadways could be wet or dirty stepping stones were placed at intervals for people to walk across the street. The space between the stepping stones was matched to the standard distance between the wheels of Roman carts to allow their passage.

Pompei Roadways and Pathways

Pompei Stepping Stones

Phallic symbols signed the way to Brothels.

Pompei Brothel signnpost

The amphitheatre held around 20,000 people who came to watch gladiatorial competitions.

Pompei Amphitheatre Fresco

Pompei Amphitheatre

Pompei Amphitheatre - Vesuvius in the background

Pompei Amphitheatre South Entrance

A plaque records the building of the amphitheatre.

“Caius Quinctius Valgus, son of Gaius, and Marcus Porcius, son of Marcus, quinquennial duumvirs, for the honour of the colony, saw to the construction of the amphitheatre at their own expense and gave the area to the colonists in perpetuity”.

Pompei Amphitheatre construction plaque

Pompei Amphitheatre IJ

Pompei Amphitheatre

Pompei Amphitheatre tunnels below seating

Pompei Amphitheatre North Entrance

The Casa della Venere in conchiglia, the house of Venus, located in Regio II on Via dell'Abbondanza was owned by wealthy Satrii family.

Casa della Venere in conchiglia IJ

Casa della Venere in conchiglia

The Casa di Octavious Quartrio, House of Loreius Tiburtinu is located in Regio II on Via dell'Abbondanza.

Casa di Octavious Quartrio

The Stabian Baths (Terme Stabiane) are located at the intersection of two main streets in Pompeii: the Via dell'Abbondanza to the south and the Via Stabiana. They were the oldest and the largest of the five public baths in the city

Terme Stabiane

The Forum was the heart of the city where religious, economic, and municipal affairs were conducted. To the North was a two-story colonnaded portico temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.

Pompei Forum

Pompei Forum plan

Pompei Forum -Then and Now

Pompei Forum and Mount Vesuvius

Pompei Forum

The Theatre District is located in Regio VIII with a large theatre, a small theatre (the Odeon), and the Quadriporticum, a covered area to the rear.

Pompei Theatre District

Pompei Odeon Theatre

Located near the theatres in Regio VIII is the Gladiator Barracks, the Caserma dei Gladiatori. The quadrangular complex housed the gladiators and it is where they were trained.