Letizia Galie Del Gobbo

The first of the four notes left to Letizia by the POW Michele.
(Dennis Hill, “Michele and Beo Rediscovered” )

Letizia, a widow, lived in the small village of Smerillo with her six children. A few days after the Armistice, four escaped American prisoners from POW Camp 59 in Servigliano, who had decided to head south following the course of the Tenna River, found shelter in a cave in the hills surrounding the village. 

Speaking about meeting the woman, William recalled: «We climbed into the hills. When we reached the top, there was a woman gathering branches with four small children — two boys and two girls. She recognised us as Americans and invited us to stay in her home. She knew that if she were caught, there would be serious consequences, but she did not hesitate».

With the arrival of the American prisoners at their home, Letizia asked her daughters to fetch some wine from the cask in the cellar, half a loaf of bread, and a piece of cheese from the cupboard; she told her sons to pick four figs and a bunch of grapes from the field. From that moment on, the family showed incredible hospitality.

Letizia first sheltered the men in the henhouse; as temperatures dropped, she then hosted them inside the house. Two of the Americans — Irving and Ivan — stayed in the area only for a few weeks, while Michael (Michele, who had Italian descendants and, because of that, a good knowledge of the language) and William (known as Bill or Beo) spent many months with the Del Gobbo family, managing to avoid recapture and eventually rejoing the Allied troops. «We ran away from home several times during the winter when the Fascists were after us, but she always knew when they would come. They could never catch us by surprise because there was only one road to get here». 

It was quite common for a prisoner of war staying with a family to leave a thank-you note as a gesture of appreciation for the help. Michael, for example, wrote four notes during his stay, from 17 November 1943 to 21 June 1944, each containing a heartfelt plea for the Allied authorities to grant the woman the recognition she deserved «She took care of us when we were sick… and paid all the medical expenses for me»; «If there is anything you can do, please help her. She is a widow with six children and no income. Gentlemen, if you find what you owe her too burdensome, I beg you to deduct that amount from my pay. She treated every prisoner with all her love. Please, make sure she is well rewarded».

In 1990, William Fleischauer, the other American prisoner who stayed for a long time with Letizia and her family, also returned to Smerillo to find and thank those who had helped him.