Wartime stories come to life through a book penned by a Grosse Isle writer.
Bill Massey will launch his historical book Under Italian Skies on Wednesday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. at the Stonewall legion. He previously wrote a book about his grandfather called Poets & Pioneers and a memoir called Of Pork & Potatoes.
Under Italian Skies focuses on the experiences of his uncle Mert Massey during the Second World War. Mert grew up on his family’s farm in the Manitoba community of Ninette. He joined the Forces in 1940 along with his best friend, Lloyd “Red” Oliver.
“In 1940, Churchill had just become the prime minister of England, France had just fallen to the Germans, and the Battle of Britain was about to begin,” Bill said. “That’s when these guys joined up.”
Mert arrived in England in November 1941, where he spent nearly two years moving supplies from ports in Scotland to the camps in southern England. Working as a mechanic, Mert fixed trucks for the Canadian Army.
That’s also where he met his future wife, Betty Brown, who worked as a quality control supervisor in a munitions factory that was staffed by 17,000 people, mainly women. They were introduced through a mutual friend and started writing letters to each other. The first time they met in person, Betty had the opportunity to take the stage and sing along with the famous Glenn Miller Band. Needless to say, Mert was smitten.
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The young couple got engaged before Mert was sent to Italy in November 1943. The book includes many of the affectionate letters exchanged between Mert and Betty, as well as letters exchanged between Mert and his father and his sister Edith.
In addition, the book includes 14 poems written by Mert while also drawing upon a memoir written by his best friend Red. Using all these historical resources, combined with intensive research, Bill Massey weaves together stories of his uncle’s experiences.
One aspect of these stories focuses on a young Italian boy named Gino, who was found by Mert’s unit in 1944, huddling and starving in a shell hole.
“They brought him back to camp and they tried to find a home for him but there was such a shortage of food in Italy at the time. People were starving. They couldn’t feed their own children, so nobody would take this boy,” Bill explained.
“So Mert’s unit took him with them. Mert had a bigger tent because as a mechanic he had tools and parts that he took along. So Mert and Red ended up being the main caregivers for Gino as long as he was with them in Italy for about nine months. He wrote several poems about him, so that’s part of the story.”
Last summer, Bill and his son travelled to Ottawa to meet Gino, so some of that experience is reflected in the book as well.
The Italian campaign was brutal and difficult, resulting in 6,000 Canadians killed and 20,000 wounded. In addition, 150,000 Italian civilians and 35,000 Italian anti-fascist resistance fighters lost their lives.
At the book launch on April 23, Bill will share some of these wartime stories, while also speaking about his self-published book and how it came to be.
“I also want to read several of my uncle’s poems because they’re very moving and poignant and tell a great deal of the story,” he added.
In addition, the event will feature a sing-along of Second World War songs led by local singer Rolly Gillies. The songs will include Cliffs of Dover, which was Betty and Mert’s favourite, as well as the D-Day Dodgers song.
And at the end of April, Bill will travel to Italy as part of a group that will retrace the steps that Canadians travelled during the Second World War. They’ll visit the site where his Uncle Mert’s unit found Gino and will present a copy of the book to a nearby museum.
Copies of Under Italian Skies will be available to buy at the book launch for $20 each. Books are also available to purchase by contacting Bill Massey directly at 204-467-9122 or billmasseymb@gmail.com.
