As I’ve said previously, it’s always so lovely receiving notifications from my website. And so it was on, 1st April 2026, I received a message from James stating that “I’ve been researching my grandfather’s escape from PG59 and found an account of one of his crew’s escape from PG49. My notes are at: https://www.fettle.org.uk/DV416.”
And his notes make it immediately clear that there must be a number of men who could be in a whole lot of trouble.
“On 28th December 1941 Wellington IC DV416 crashed in Sicily whilst transiting from Gibraltar to Malta. My grandfather, Robert Davis, was the rear gunner on this flight. This page holds some of my notes and references from my research into the flight.
I’m placing these notes online in the hope that someone else researching the crew of DV416 stumbles across them and finds them helpful. Please get in touch using the e-mail address at the bottom of this page if that’s you!“
I need no further invitation. But I’m curious who is it that I’m looking for? And it soon becomes clear when I click on the link for Pilot: F/O Samuel Beckett (106061) that this is my man as I immediately spot that he is the only one that has not been sent to PG 59 at Servigliano, as had the rest of his crew, but has moved initially from PG 79 at Sulmone, then PG 35 and ultimately PG 49 at Fontanellato. Bingo!
“On 28th December, 1941, I left Gibraltar routed for Malta. I Was flying Wellington I.C. DV. 416 (or 418?) and owing to bad weather and radio failure was unable to find Malta. I forced-landed Sicily in the vicinity of Catania after I had run out of petrol. From there I went to an interrogation camp at Rome (Centocelle airport) where I stayed for twenty-one days. There I went to P.O.W. camp No. 79 at Sulmone, thence to Camp No. 35 and ultimately No. 49 Fontenellato near Parma. On September 1943 I escaped from that and made my way to Bardi, where I waited until 28th October on the hope that landing would be made at La Spezia. Then I made my way South as far as Citta di Castello where I entrained for Termi. From Terni 24 November 1943 I made my way to Riete on foot where I again stayed for six weeks. After the landing had taken place at Anzio I went as fer as Valmontone but again decided I could not pass the lines and so went over to Paliano where I stayed from 9th February until I was recaptured by 8th Army on 4th June, 1944. After reaching 2 Repatriation P.O.W Camp Resina, Naples I made a full report to the interrogation Officers there.
(Signed) S. BECKETT. F/Lt.
106061”
So, having been separated from his flight crew and then also finding himself released from PG 49 at Fontanellato in September 1943 after the Italian Armistice, Samuel Beckett teams up with a number of other men in the camp who, like all the others including my father, have to then try and negotiate their way through and survive in German occupied Italy and make the difficult decision on how they would make their way ‘home’.
But, having initially only created a link from the entry I have for Beckett in my website to John’s website we enter into further correspondence, and I now find that he has very kindly supplied me with links to a number of Allied Screening Commission claims that he has come across that are starting to materialise in the NARA Archives. And the first link that I click on brings up Claim No. 113: Pietrantoni, Stefano who lives in SARACINESCO in the Province of Rome and he is now teamed up with:-
| No. | Name | Rank | Unit |
| 117868 | CAFFYN, W.D. | Major | East Surrey |
| 106061 | BECKETT, S. | F/O | R.A.F. |
| 66396 | COWDY, A. | Capt. | Royal Ulster Rifles |
| 204342 | SMITH, J.D. | Lt. | Royal Artillery |
A quick check on my PG 49 website confirms that CAFFYN and COWDY are listed in PG 66 at Capua and, whilst CAFFYN appears in Appendix 8 of Ian English’s “Home by Christmas?”, COWDY does not. A possible omission? However, BECKETT appears in the Air Force section of both and Smith appears in both the original British Army list of WO 392/21 as well as the aforesaid Appendix 8.
From the documents James provides he concludes that “It appears that for most of his escape he (Samuel Beckett) was accompanied by John Derrick Smith, Lt. RA 204342 who WO 392/21 also lists as being in PG49.” He adds that “I think Smith was born around 1921ish in Huddersfield, moved to North Wales, died in LA in 1985.” And a quick scan through a few of the other Claims indicates that BECKETT and SMITH are often together. Sometimes with CAFFYN and also with others who are similarly on the run in German occupied Italy.
OTHERS LISTED ABOVE:
- Randall
- Hunt
- Stark
- Smith
- Johnson
- Harrison
But hold on there are so many more Claims to research! I think I’ve got a lot more reading to do. Oh well! Thanks James. Allied Screening Commission Claims show Beckett being sheltered by the following families:-
| Claim No. | Dates | Location | Family | Assistance |
| 113 | Saracinesco | Pietrantoni | ||
| 1743 | three days 5/2/1944 | Rocca Santo Stefano | Proietti | Food and lodgings |
| 1842 | 12/5/1943 | Paliano | Marielli | Food and tobacco |
| 1843 | April 1944 | Paliano | Sperati | Food and lodging |
| 1980 | 10/3/1943 | Paliano (Frosinone) | Piacentini | Food and lodgings for one day |
| 1986 | 9/2/44 to 4/6/1944 | Paliano (Frosinone) | Loffredi | Clothes, food, lodgings |
| 2465 | 15/12/1943 | Aquila | Lalvi | Food and lodgings |
| 5358 | 9/2/1944 to 4/6/1944 | Frosinone | Maggi | Unstated assistance |
| 6337 | 9/2/1944 to 4/6/1944 | Paliaro Contrada Fornaccie (Frosinone) | Atturio | Lodgings |
| 6362 | 16/3/1944 | Frosinone | Attuoro | Provided with him a pair of boots |
| 6392 | three weeks 3/3/1944 | Frosinone | Pignalberi | Food and lodging |
| 7041 | three weeks 27/1/1944 | Concerviano (Rieti) | Bosi | Food and lodgings |
| 7042 | three days 27/12/1943 | Fornara | Catasta | Food |
| 7053 | seven days 3/1/1944 | Concerviano (Rieti) | Buzzi | Food and lodgings |
| 7056 | 21/12/1943 | Petrella Salto (Rieti) | Massimiliano | Food |
| 7057 | 2/12/1943 to 29/1/1944 | Pratoianni (Rieti) | Floridi | Unstated assistance |
James’s final piece of excellent advice to my asking if it would be OK to create a POST for Sam – “Yes please go ahead (and publish). I’m taking a similar approach to my research – I’m publishing some things before I feel they are “ready” with the hope that just getting names out into Google’s indexes will eventually result in people coming forward.”
And, until I’ve waded through all the above CLAIMS I’m going to go with James’s summation of Sam’s route ‘home’ which looks like it could be – “Route: Fontenellato, Bardi, Citta di Castello, Terni, Riete, Valmontone, Paliano“.
If you’ve stumbled upon information about your relative on this website, like James, please get in touch using the form on my ABOUT page.