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| Additional Information: | Son of Harry Talbot Shakespear and Winifred Constance Shakespear; husband of Barbara Joan Stewart Shakespear, of Farnham, Surrey. |
| Cemetery: | CATANIA WAR CEMETERY, SICILYItaly |
| Grave or Reference Panel Number: | IV. G. 41. |
| Location: | Catania War Cemetery is 7 kilometres south-west of Catania. From Catania Airport follow the tangenziale (main road) towards the A19 (in the direction of Palermo). Before reaching the A19 the cemetery is signposted. |
| Visiting Information: | The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime. The Commission is aware of the fly-tipping on the road leading to this cemetery but this is outside our control. However, our staff do inform the Security Personnel whenever this occurs. |
| Historical Information: | On 10 July 1943, following the successful conclusion of the north African campaign in mid May, a combined allied force of 160,000 Commonwealth and American troops invaded Sicily as a prelude to the assault on mainland Italy. The Italians, who would shortly make peace with the Allies and re-enter the war on their side, offered little determined resistance but German opposition was vigorous and stubborn. The campaign in Sicily came to an end on 17 August when the two allied forces came together at Messina, but failed to cut off the retreating Axis lines. Catania War Cemetery contains burials from the later stages of the campaign, from Lentini northwards. Many died in the heavy fighting just short of Catania (the town was taken on 5 August) and in the battle for the Simeto river bridgehead. Catania War Cemetery contains 2,135 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 113 of them unidentified. |
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