POWs executed at Trivero

From Carol Smith [including information from, the Institute of the Partisans in Varallo, Italy.]

In May 1944 a group of five Australian POWs and an English soldier were hiding out in a farm house/hut at Piancone, near the Sessera River at Trivero.

One of the five Australian soldiers had a broken leg and they were all holed up waiting for his leg to heal before heading north to Switzerland.

Two of the men were in the hut when discovered by Facists from 63 Battaglione Tagliamento.   The others had gone to Mosso for supplies and information.  The Facists lay in wait for the return of the  four and the group of six unarmed soldiers were virtually shot (machine gun) on the spot, close by an old Roman stone bridge at Ponte della Babbiera.

An Italian witness reported –

“It was a damned spy who brought a patrol of Nazi fascists to the hut of the Barbero Alp, just beyond the ancient bridge of the Babbiera. Some of the fugitives had in those days gone to Mosso for supplies and information. They waited for their return and killed them all barbarically. The Nazi fascists then set fire to the cabin and left”

The POWs were –

• William Harvey (Sandy)                 2/32 AIF
• Ernest Wolfe (Ernie)                  2/32 AIF               Executed on his 23^rd birthday
• Clive Liddell 2/28 AIF
• Harold Blaine (Butcher)             2/24 AIF
• John Nichols (Ticker)                 2/28 AIF
• Arthur Vaughan K.                       Mentioned in report attached.

I believe the British POW was Arthur VAUGHAN of Glazbury Street, London.  This information comes from a report attached.

Around the end of May when advised by the locals that the men had been killed, my uncle, Ron McIntyre VX48203, Frank Blewett WX9047, Jack Giles VX47985 and possibly another two Australian soldiers went to Trivero and unearthed the grave.   They arranged for a local stone mason to make a marker and advised the local mayor of the site of the grave for eventual recovery.

My uncle’s report reads –

“There was no apparent reason for the shooting of these lads as they were all unarmed.  We buried them and erected a marble slab with their names upon it upon one of the graves which contained all six.  Information regarding the exact where-abouts of the grave can be obtained from the Mayor of Coggiola, Province of Vercelli”

In 2023 during a visit to Coggiola we visited the site of the executions.   A shelter has been erected on the side of a hill and is a memorial to the six men.   The original marble slab is part of the memorial.   The terrain is green, lush and very steep.  Nearby, the Sesse river flows gently below the old Roman stone bridge, a witness to this tragic event.

The Mayor of Valdilana attended our small ceremony of remembrance and was presented with a ‘Rats of Tobruk’ shield.  We closed with the wonderful old Partisan song “Bella Ciao” and our not so wonderful rendition of “Waltzing Matilda”.

From Briann Cooper

The two incidents were the subject of war crimes investigations. Investigation papers are held at the UK National Archives.

Reference: WO 311/1235
Description: Shooting of six allied prisoners of war at Alpe Barbera, Italy, 5 May 1944
Date: 1945 May 01 – 1946 Nov 30
I assume that Alpe Barbera was in fact Alpe Barbero which is close to Trivero.

Reference: WO 311/1234
Description: Shooting of three allied prisoners of war by Italians at Varallo, Italy, 15 April 1944
Date: 1945 Dec 01 – 1946 Jun 30