Man’s peace walk to honour Second World War sacrifices
Warren Stace (right), with his great-grandfather Laurence Leishman (left) and his dad Patrick Stace, who served in the Blues and Royals (centre). Photo: Stace family.
A Second World War enthusiast from Red Lodge is hoping that his 110-mile trek in April, will help to raise awareness of the sacrifices made by our troops in Italy during the war.
The Italian campaign, which saw thousands of men killed and injured, has its anniversary this month, but is not as well known by the public as Normandy.
Warren Stace, whose great-grandfather was on the front line at Monte Camino, Monte Damino and Anzio, wants to change this.
Warren, 38, admits that he’s been obsessed with Second World War history after hearing about the experiences of his great-grandfather Laurence Leishman.
He’s even taken on a role at the Imperial War Museum, in Duxford, and is surrounded by the history of the conflict on a daily basis.
His nine-day trek starts at the Monte Casino Abbey and will finish at the Vatican, where a medal will be presented to the Cardinal.
Warren is part of a group of enthusiasts completing the Peace Walk, who will be meeting mayors and other local groups along the way, to talk about the Italian campaign and make them more aware of the incredible bravery shown by so many people.
Warren’s also aiming to raise some funds for the veterans’ charity Help for Heroes.
He said: “My great-grandfather was such a lovely, caring man. When I was little, he’d tell me lots of stories about his mates and the things they got up to in the war. I loved the tales of camaraderie and his adventures. It was only when I got older that I realised the full extent of what he experienced.”
Laurence (pictured above) joined the Territorial Army as a young lad in 1938.
He was from the East End of London and was part of the London Battalion. He was first mobilised to Norway in 1943, but then was sent to Salerno, in Italy, with the 10th Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1944.
At Anzio, British troops were surrounded by overwhelming German forces.
Laurence was one of only 40 men out of 1,500 to survive the German attack and was taken prisoner.
He was sent to a number of PoW camps, including Stalag 4B, and was forced to take part in the long march of January 1945, when the Germans moved allied PoWs away from the advancing Soviet army.
Warren added: “It’s unbelievable when you think what a young man of 21 experienced – and there were some lads who were younger than him. There were horrendous stories of how the PoWs were treated, especially by the SS troops.
“When my great-grandad eventually got home after 12 months in the PoW camp, he was skin and bone, and the mental and physical impact was with him for the rest of his life.
“That’s why I’ve always had such admiration for the older generations – they just faced up to challenges and got on with everything. I think it’s so important for people today to remember what people sacrificed for us, and that’s why I wanted to be part of the Peace Walk this year.”
Warren set up a Facebook group during lockdown, which now has around 10,000 followers, dedicated to finding and sharing bits of information and photos from the Italian campaign.
The Peace Walk starts on April 6. For more information about Warren’s Peace Walk challenge go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/warren-stace-1-h4h