Page 128 - Chronicle Vol 17

THE RIFLES REGIONAL OFFICE NORTH
80TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION HUSKY (THE INVASION OF SICILY JULY 1943) AND THE SICILY PEACE, SECURITY & PROSPERITY CONFERENCE 7-8 JULY 2023
The Durham Light Infantry Association was invited to the 80th Anniversary Celebration of Operation Husky in Catania, Sicily from the 5th to 12th July 2023 and to attend the Sicily Peace, Security & Prosperity Conference 7th-8th July. A twelve-member delegation flew from Leeds Bradford to Catania and the remain- der of the day was spent settling into their surroundings.
Day 2 had been organised between Ian Pearson and Dr Marco Gimillaro, a leading expert on the invasion of Sicily and the battles in Sicily in 1943. The Association spent most of the day on a detailed Battlefield tour of Primosole Bridge where the 151(Durham) Brigade suffered over 500 casualties, of which 190 Officers and Other Ranks of the 6th, 8th and 9th Battalions Durham Light Infantry (DLI) were killed in action. The approach routes and the locations of the German concrete bunkers, the sunken road (“Stink Alley”) and the site of the original Primosole Bridge were discussed in detail. This was followed by the laying of DLI wreaths and wooden crosses at the DLI Memorial in the re-located area of the Simeto River Reserve. A welcome reception took place in Catania that evening.
127