Le 3 septembre 1943, les Alliés envahissent le continent italien, à un moment où les Italiens réintègrent la guerre du côté des Alliés. L’avancée des Alliés est bloquée par la Ligne Gustave, fortifications construites par les Allemands. La ligne finit par tomber en mai 1944 et les Alliés remontent l’Italie. Ce cimetière est celui des morts de la 78e Division, principalement Anglais, mais aussi Canadiens et Sud-Africains, morts qui ont eu lieu lors des premiers combats intenses au nord de Rome. Les 190 sépultures datent de la période du 14 juin au 4 juillet 1944. Elles sont toutes identifiées sauf deux. Je pensais avoir vu ce cimetière, mais j’ai dû confondre avec celui plus grand de Bolsena, qui n’est pas très loin. Toujours horriblement touchant à visiter. Ces soldats étaient tellement jeunes.
“However, the men in his Platoon and one of the other officers in the Coy, who is still with us, have told me what happened, and the story, as sad as it is, is in every way worthy of your son and of the fine officer we knew him to be. He was wounded in the right arm while attacking a house, and his Platoon was around him. He was about to through a grenade as he was struck, and had already removed the pin. Then realising that he had not the strength to throw it far enough, he held it for as long as he could, while he shouted to his Platoon to get down under cover, after which he threw it as far as he could, but not, unfortunately, far enough to prevent it killing him. His sacrifice was not in vain, and his men’s lives were saved as he meant that they should be.” Letter sent by John Wilton to the father of Lt. Cornelius Joseph Horgan. 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers and 6 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers