John was one of the first people to support me in my journey to find out what my father had encountered during World War 2, and I will be eternally grateful to him for responding to my request for help in his e-mail dated 29th May 2021:-
Dear Chris and Graham,
I was delighted to hear from you both. We much appreciate your strong support of the Trust. Believe it or not, we have been very busy despite the pandemic, as our June newsletter, currently being printed, will explain. It will reach Graham at his new address: to be able to watch Ringed Plovers, how wonderful!
I shall email supporters once the newsletter is posted on the site, for Chris to read. I shall have a word with our IT consultant about the practicality of alerting supporters through push technology. I have noted Chris’s address. A New Zealand branch of MSMT would be splendid. When I have time I could look through our database for other NZ supporters. Maybe Chris would then like to assemble them, via Zoom perhaps. When you next visit Italy we can give you good contacts in Fontanellato and the Marche.
Thank you for buying my translation of Minardi’s book. Christine, I and other colleagues are about to embark on another translation, this time of witness stories told by Italian who helped PoWs.
Sadly, however, the pandemic means that yet again this year we shall have only a handful of bursary students, most of them preferring to postpone again. We feel cut off from Italy, which is a great shame.
Kind regards,
John
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“John began a second term as trustee in 2022 after serving as Administrator for 10 years. A retired journalist, he is an Italian speaker and frequent visitor to Italy. He is the son of Anthony Simkins, a PoW at Sulmona, Montalbo and Fontanellato, and in Germany. John recruits students for the bursary programme and, along with Nermina Delic, works with Istituto Nazionale Ferruccio Parri on joint projects with MSMT, one of which was to create the website entitled “Italy and the Allies”.”
And how delighted I was to meet John in 2023 when the Monte San Martino Trust celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the Italian Armistice in Servigliano.
John continues his unstinting work for the Trust to this day – see Return to Fontanellato
PG 49 at Fontanellato in Italy - The Story of allied servicemen who were held prisoner of war in this town in Italy in World War II 