Veteran retraces steps of fight for Monte Cassino

Duncan Hart attended the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy with 40 other New Zealand veterans. Photo/Bevan Conley

Marton's Duncan Hart is back home after attending the Battle of Monte Cassino's 70th anniversary commemorations.

Mr Hart, who served with the New Zealand Army for two-and-a-half years during World War II, joined about 40 other Kiwi veterans in Italy for a "marvellous" two-week trip.

The trip gave him the chance to meet other Kiwis who had fought in Italy.

"Plenty of stories were told," he said. "It was all go, really. Often by 5.30am we had our bags out the door. They packed the food into you all the time."

During the commemorations he also briefly met Prince Harry, whom he described as easy-going and natural.

"The New Zealand one (commemoration) was delightful, the Governor (Governor-General Sir Jerry Mataparae) gave a lovely address, everybody was right on with it.

"When we were there (in the war) you wouldn't have seen a leaf on a tree and everything was damaged. Today it's hard to pick out where anything was."

Then 15,000 people lived in the area, today 45,000.

Mr Hart was part of the 18th Armoured Battalion in the war. He visited the grave of his tank driver, who died at the end of the battle, and that of John Keystone, a man whom Mr Hart played rugby with and the only Marton man to be buried at Cassino. The rocky hill is about 130km southeast of Rome.

Mr Hart also spoke to an Italian man who described what it was like, as a 10-year-old, when Monte Cassino was being bombed.

The battle lasted from January to May 1944, the aim being to capture Monte Cassino abbey from the Germans. It was part of the defensive line to prevent further Allied penetration into Italy.

Of the 2176 Kiwis who died in Italy, 456 are buried in Cassino. Another 55 perished but their bodies were never recovered; 6700 were wounded.