Frome resident retraces father’s wartime footsteps in Sicily

A Frome resident has travelled to Sicily to retrace his father’s footsteps during World War II, when he took part in a major campaign that led to Italy’s withdrawal from the war.

Neal Latham always knew his father, Alfred Ernest Latham, served in the SAS. But when Alfred died in 1974, Neal was just 17 and knew little about his father’s life or his role in the British Army.

That changed recently when Neal discovered a book belonging to his father, titled The Soldier’s Guide to Sicily. Since then, he has been on a journey to learn more about his father’s wartime experiences and the comrades he served alongside.

Operation Husky

Alfred Ernest Latham was part of the 1st SAS and took part in Operation Husky, also known as the Allied Invasion of Sicily. This was a major campaign in World War II, during which Allied forces invaded the Italian island of Sicily in July 1943. It is recognised as a crucial step in the ‘Italian Campaign’ and ultimately contributed to Italy’s surrender.

“My dad was a quiet man; he wouldn’t say a lot but anyone who did what he did didn’t talk about it anyway,” said Neal. “When my older brother died, my younger brother was going through some of his paperwork and came across this book, called The Soldier’s Guide to Sicily. I can remember seeing it when I was younger. I didn’t know the relevance of the book; all I knew was that any soldier who served in Sicily and Italy was given this book.”

Enclosed in the back of the book was a handwritten message from Alfred, detailing the mission he was about to embark on and listing the names of his commanding officer, sergeant and corporal. “It also said that it was their job to take out the coastal gun battery,” said Neal.

The mission was carried out successfully and, notably, they destroyed an enemy gun battery at Capo Murro di Porco, which could have inflicted heavy casualties on the Allied invasion fleet.

‘Emotional trip’

To walk in his father’s footsteps and visit the areas in which he carried out the mission, Neal recently travelled to Sicily with his son to see some of the places Alfred would have been.

“It was very surreal and emotional,” said Neal. “Some of the gun battery buildings are still there. There was also a farm that they all regrouped at, we visited the farm too. The building is still there, it’s derelict now but I just kept thinking about how I was walking in the same steps that my dad walked.

“We flew back on 10th July, but on that day, it was exactly 80 years since Operation Husky began. My dad died when I was 17 and a half, and after that, you have no one to speak to. I had my eldest brother, but he didn’t know a lot, and my mum didn’t know much either. It’s a journey now, it’s an adventure because I’m finding out things I never knew.”

When Alfred left the SAS in 1944, he was repatriated back to Scotland where the SAS had been set up.

However, he made his way back down south and ended up at an army camp in Warminster. “He then met my mum who was in Frome,” Neal added. “Her dad owned and ran a pub called the Kings Head which was on Trinity Street and my dad used to drink in there. He met Mum, then settled down in Frome.”

With around 100 photos of his dad in the SAS, Neal’s mission continues – to find out more about his dad and the work he undertook.

“They were all heroes, every single one of them, but I don’t think they realised the enormity of what they were doing because to them, they were just doing what they signed up for,” said Neal.