The Monte Cassino Society is dedicated to furthering an interest in the experiences of those from all Allied nations who took part in the Italian Campaign of World War II, from 1943 to 45.

Our aims are to collect, document and preserve information about the veterans’ experiences and to encourage access to the memoirs, accounts, recollections and associated information about the campaign, in the hope that those experiences are remembered by future generations.

The Society was formed in 2005 by three daughters of veterans of the Italian Campaign and the Battles of Cassino. 20 years later, it continues to follow its original aims, although with few veterans of the campaign living, membership consists mostly of descendants and others with an interest in the Italian Campaign.

While Remembrance is important, the passing of that great generation means that more recent and younger members are focused on learning more about the history of the Italian Campaign. In 2024 our visit to Cassino for the 80th Anniversary Commemorations included a comprehensive tour led by a well-known battlefield historian. It enabled new members to understand where relatives fought, and we are looking at additional visits to locations which were significant before Cassino and after the fall of Rome.

A Society-funded Monte Cassino memorial was unveiled in 2012 at a Service of Dedication in the Mediterranean Campaign sector of the National Memorial Arboretum near Litchfield, Staffordshire, the focus for our annual Service of Remembrance mid-May to commemorate the Battles for Cassino and entire Italian Campaign.

In recent years, this has been partnered by a Memorial service held in Blackhall St Columba’s Church in Edinburgh, by the Reverend Fergus Cook. Our link was forged after the discovery by Fergus of the wartime Monte Cassino Cross in the church archives, a cross used during the campaign by a previous minister and Army Chaplain. In 2023 the service included the dedication of a Memorial bench donated by the Society, near the church War Memorial.

The Monte Cassino Society is always well-represented at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, when members meet to join the march past on Remembrance Sunday, while members throughout the country attend local services on our behalf.

We welcome new members. If you would like to know more about the Society, can contribute an account, memoir or recollection, or know a son, daughter or relative who feels, as we do, that the experiences of those who took part in the Italian Campaign should never be forgotten, we would like to hear from you. You can reach us at info@montecassinosociety.co.uk