DLI Association to travel to Sicily to commemorate Battle of Primosole Bridge

The Durham Light Infantry Association will visit war graves in Sicily. Credit: PA

A delegation from the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Association will travel to Sicily later this month to visit the war graves of 207 fallen soldiers.

The trip is scheduled to coincide with the 80-year anniversary of the Battle of Primosole Bridge which claimed the lives of a number of Infantry members.

Twelve members of the DLI Association will be hosted by the UK Ambassador to Italy and San Marino and the mayors of Catania and Noto as part of their trip.

There are 189 graves in the Catania Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery while a further 18 are at Syracuse.

DLI Association member Ian Pearson said: "Some of these graves may not have been visited in 70 years so it is really important that we keep this torch alive.

"We are planning, despite the heat, to visit every single grave and we have enough DLI crosses to put on every single one. We will also say a few words so they are not forgotten.

"It's going to be highly emotional."

The Battle of Primosole Bridge took place in the Second World War with a three-day operation helping allied forces to make crucial advances towards the Sicilian industrial hub of Catania.

A wooden footbridge commemorating the battle was built in Saltwell Park, Gateshead in 2002.

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