BRITISH VIRTUAL WAR CEMETERY OF CATANIA by 1°IIS M. Bartolo

In Memory of
Sergeant, ANTHONY PATRICK DUFFY
3773298, No.2 Commando
The King's Regiment (Liverpool)
who died age 29
on 16th August 1943

Remembered with honour
CATANIA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY

Husband of Beatrice A. Duffy, of Dingle, Liverpool.

He was killed during some street fighting on the morning of August 16th in Scaletta -a small coastal town about 15 miles or so south of Messina- where several soldiers of the German rearguard had 'holed-up' in houses and other buildings.

Other fallen soldiers during the fight at Scaletta:

- Cpl. Bill Watt from Cumberland, age 25
- Lieut. John Jeffreys from Essex, age 23
- Gnr. Edward Cox from Blackpool, age 22
- Fus. Gerald Cheetham from London, age 24

Sgt Anthony Patrick Duffy, 2 Troop, on the left in this photo, was killed in action in Sicily on 16th August 1943. See entry in the No.2 Commando "In Remembrance" album. Sgt Peacock on the right identified from a photo submitted by Tom Sherman OBE of Sgts who had made it back to the UK after St Nazaire. Photo courtesy of his nephew Andrew Duffy.

Some information on the front row seated from the left :Sgt.Ronald Sims MM was one of the 5 who evaded capture after landing at St Nazaire and made it back to the UK; Sgt. Peacock; TSM Arthur Wardle (returned from St Nazaire) went to OCTU and became an officer with No.3 Cdo; Lt. John Rosling kia Salerno; Captain the Duke of Wellington kia Salerno; Lt. John Jeffries kia Scaletta; Sgt Anthony Duffy kia Scaletta; Sgt Richard O'Brien DCM MM (returned from St Nazaire) awarded the DCM for his gallantry on Operation Musketoon from which he escaped (see our albums on this operation)and awarded the MM for his gallantry at Salerno;
There are several in this picture who were killed in action. I have listed those I can confirm. There are 4 more whose surname is on our ROH that I am researching to confirm if they are ident with those in this photo - Brighty, Drury, Davies,Benner
In Memory of Captain 56864 HENRY VALERIAN GEORGE WELLESLEY, 6th Duke of Wellington. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)and No.2 Commando who died on 16 September 1943 at Salerno age 31. Remembered with honour at the SALERNO WAR CEMETERY
In Memory of Lieutenant 74664 JOHN DOUGLAS ROSLING, Welch Regiment and No. 2, Commando who died age 25 on 14 September 1943. Remembered with honour at SALERNO WAR CEMETERY
In Memory of Lieutenant 95277 JOHN DARELL JEFFREYS, King's Own Scottish Borderers and No. 2, Commando who died age 23 on 16 August 1943. Remembered with honour CATANIA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY
In Memory of Sergeant 3773298 ANTHONY PATRICK DUFFY, The King's Regiment (Liverpool)and No. 2, Commando who died age 29 on 16 August 1943. Remembered with honour at CATANIA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY
In Memory of Trooper 7893626 NORMAN BUNN, Royal Armoured Corps and No. 2, Commando who died age 22 on 30 July 1944. Remembered with honour BARI WAR CEMETERY
This photo was donated on behalf of the friends and family of Gerald Fitzgerald of 2 troop, in love and honour of Gerry. He is pictured here in the first row standing, 3rd from the left.

(photo and details entered by Pete Rogers for http://www.commandoveterans.org)

Sebastiano Giannitto, 2012-06-02

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theatre of war
Scaletta

On July 22nd, 1943, No. 2 Commando arrived in Sicily. They had come from Gibraltar, calling at Algiers, Bone, Phillipville, Tunis and Valleta, in Malta, along the way. This author and ten others had been temporarily detached from the Commando a few months previously to attend to some S.S. Brigade unrelated business in North Africa. We rejoined the Commando on board ship in Valetta harbour and got acquainted with some new faces that had volunteered to join us from the Gibraltar garrison. Some of these ‘newly-minted’ Commandos come to mind. They had left their N.C.O.’s stripes on the ‘rock’ as an entry fee required to become ‘members’ - Pte. Bill Woolley, Pte. Des Rochford and Pte. Albert Myram who would win an M.M. for himself on the last day of fighting in Sicily.

The campaign in Sicily was not very noteworthy to 2 Commando. We resided in the dirty and mosquito-infested olive groves between Augusta and Catania and did nothing too much in the way of plying our trade until August 15th. Up until that date No. 3 Commando had done the ‘heavy-lifting’ in Sicily and Lt. Col. John Durnford- Slater was probably a most-satisfied commander. For some reason or other, at the same time, our Colonel Jack was not the most-contented of men.

No. 2 Commando came off the unemployed list on the night of August 15th, landing at Scaletta - a small coastal town well behind the supposed German lines, about 15 miles or so south of Messina. Our landing was a bit off the intended spot, but no matter, as we soon were engaged with the luckless tail-end of the German rearguard who were heading at top speed towards their evacuation point at Messina. The enemy vehicle drivers and their troop passengers didn’t have much of a chance and the fight was over in short order. The following morning it became apparent that several soldiers of the German rearguard had ‘holed-up’ in houses and other buildings in Scaletta. Some rather-bitter street fighting followed on the morning of August 16th, resulting in casualties on both sides.
No. 2 lost

Cpl. Bill Watt from Cumberland, age 25
Lieut. John Jeffreys from Essex, age 23
Sgt. Anthony Duffy from Liverpool, age 29
Gnr. Edward Cox from Blackpool, age 22
Fus. Gerald Cheetham from London, age 24

They were buried alongside many more of their comrades from No. 3 Commando at Catania War Cemetery.

Following the conclusion of the fight at Scaletta, ‘Mad Jack’ and a few officers piled into a vehicle (the author cannot remember if it was a captured ‘Kubelwagen’ or an automobile). They headed for Messina at high speed brushing off other ‘eager-beavers’ who tried to join them. Arriving in Messina, Jack discovered, much to his chagrin, that the Americans had gotten there first during the previous night. Reflecting now on that day, it seems stupid to have put any value on who had entered Messina ahead of anyone else. The bragging rights really belonged to all the British, Canadian and American soldiers who rejoiced at being alive on that day the campaign in Sicily ended.

Sebastiano Giannitto, 2012-06-02

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