Grandson of former Italian POW appeals for Denny farm reunion
The grandson of an Italian soldier who spent three years in a prisoner of war camp near Denny during World War II is searching for links with his past.
Researcher Francesco Intrisano is looking for more details about his grandfather Santo Bocca’s time in the area and trace relatives of the locals who struck up a lifelong friendship with him, lasting years after the war had ended.
Mr Intrisano believes his grandfather worked on a local farm, either Sandyhillock Farm, Rough Castle Farm, Allanfauld Farm, Denovan Mains, Bankier Farm, Woodhead Farm or Randolph Hill/Gateside Farm, all located close to Denny.
Thought to have been held at Castle Rankine Prisoner of War Camp (Camp No. 64), it was low-security with interned prisoners commonly used for local labour.
Residents from the time suggested camp guards either didn’t carry weapons or they were unloaded, and reportedly there were no escape attempts while the camp housed prisoners.
According to the Falkirk Local History website, despite the camp perimeter being surrounded by barbed wire, it was largely symbolic and fences could have been scaled if prisoners had chosen to flee.
Camp 64, as it was known at the time, had its own hospital, canteen, bakery, shoemaker’s shop and reading room.
Mr Intrisano has appealed for information, and requested that if any of the supplied images help restore forgotten memories, to reach out to him, or to the Falkirk Herald.
The researcher said: “My relative, Santo Bocca, was an Italian POW in your area between 1942 and 1945, and held at Camp 64/Camp 67,
“He worked on a local farm and formed a lifelong friendship with the owners and they exchanged letters for decades after the war.
“I’m hoping through this short appeal and photos, local readers might recognize the farm or remember their family corresponding with a Sicilian man named Santo after 1945?”
In addition to the Falkirk Herald appeal, there's also a Facebook campaign invested in helping Mr Intrisano solve the mystery of which Scottish farm Santo Bocca experienced such kindness during the Second World War.
Check out the Facebook page here to join the campaign.