Two Second World War soldiers identified and rededicated in Italy

Capt. Oliver Gash of the Royal Tank Regiment lays a wreath in remembrance of Tpr Stobart (Crown copyright).

The graves of a Royal Tank Regiment soldier and Scottish soldier who lost their lives in Italy during World War Two have been identified and rededicated over 80 years after their deaths.

The rededication services for Trooper (Tpr) Frederick Stobart and Private (Pte) George Alister Walker Ewan were organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) and held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Bolsena War Cemetery in Italy on the 16 October 2024.

Trooper Frederick Stobart

Frederick Stobart was born in Sunderland in 1916. He lived with his maternal grandparents for some of his childhood, but no records exist to tell us about his young life or schooling.

He joined the Army in 1935, listing his previous occupation as a steel grinder. He served at home, and in India during the years immediately before war broke out in 1939, and then joined the British Expeditionary Force in May 1940. By August 1940 he was in the Middle East, and he remained there until June 1943, when he was sent to take part in the invasion of Italy. He appears to have been captured around Tobruk in North Africa in late June 1943 and to have become a prisoner of the Italians at Camp 54 at Fara in Sabina, in the Lazio region of Italy.

In September 1943 when Italy capitulated, many prisoners found themselves without guards and took the opportunity to escape, Stobart was one of these. He travelled north, with fellow escapee, Pte Robert Quinn of the Durham Light Infantry, into the hills where they relied on local people for help. Unfortunately, their freedom was short-lived, and they were recaptured by the Germans within a few days. According to contemporary reports, both men were shot whilst trying to escape from a transport taking them to a new camp. Quinn was hospitalised but Stobart died.

The military party stand behind Tpr Stobart's headstone (Crown copyright).

Stobart was buried in a civilian cemetery at Monte Libretto by two German soldiers, a local policeman and four other prisoners. The notes recorded on the grave register record there were no documents or means of identifying the body, and that the other prisoners burying him did not seem to know him. After the war Stobart’s remains were recovered and moved to the war cemetery at Bolsena where he was buried as an unknown casualty of the 1939 – 45 war, with a date of death in September 1943.

Recently an independent researcher submitted evidence to the CWGC hoping to have located the final resting place of Tpr Stobart. The research included excerpts from a Red Cross interview with Stobart’s fellow escapee Pte Quinn which was conducted whilst he was a POW in hospital. Quinn had described the escape and what had happened to his Stobart, without naming him. It was his testimony along with other supporting documents which were crucial in proving this case. The researcher’s evidence was reviewed, and extra work conducted by the National Army Museum and JCCC which concluded that now, 80 years after his death, it is possible to clearly identify where Tpr Stobart is buried.

JCCC Caseworker, Alexia Clark, said:
“It has been a privilege for me to have been involved in restoring Tpr Stobart’s name to him, and to have organised the service of rededication for him today. I am grateful to the researcher who submitted the original evidence and thus starting this process off, and to Tpr Stobart’s military family for attending today to honour his sacrifice.” 

Private George Alister Walker Ewan

Pte Ewan's relatives watch on as a wreath is laid by serving members of the armed forces.

George Alister Walker Ewan was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1915 to Scottish parents Thomas Ewan, a farmer, and his wife Christina Walker Alister. George was their second, and youngest child – having a sister called Catherine, who was five years older than him.

The family returned to Scotland in the summer of 1916, living initially in Dollar with Thomas’ mother. Sadly, Christina died in 1919 and following this the family were separated for a time with George and Catherine living away from their father.

George joined the army in June 1940 and spent two years on home defence duties with a Territorial battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. In late 1941 he was transferred to the 8th Battalion and embarked with them for North Africa in October 1942. He was posted as missing in November 1942 during the second battle of El Alamein but was able to rejoin his battalion a few weeks later.

Pte Ewan was wounded in an action in the Vaiano area in late June 1944, he was initially posted as missing, but this was later revised to record that he was presumed to have died of his wounds on or soon after 21 June 1944. He was buried at the civilian cemetery at Castiglione del Largo, possibly by the German army or by local civilians though the records are not clear. Either way, his name was not recorded, and he was listed in the cemetery records as an unknown British soldier.

Following the war, his remains were recovered from Castiglione del Largo and moved to the war cemetery at Bolsena, his cap badge showed that he had been a member of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, but no other identifying artefacts were found.

Pte Ewan's new headstone.

Recently an independent researcher submitted evidence to the CWGC hoping to have located the final resting place of Pte Ewan. This research was reviewed, and extra work was conducted by the National Army Museum and the JCCC which concluded that now, 80 years after his death, it was possible to clearly identify where Pte Ewan was buried.

Pte Ewan’s cousins were in attendance at the service.

JCCC Caseworker, Alexia Clark, said: “I am grateful to the researcher who submitted this case. Their work has led us to recognise the final resting place of Pte Ewan, to restore his name to him and to allow his family to honour his sacrifice. It has been a privilege for me to have contributed to this case and to have organised the service for the rededication of Pte Ewan’s grave today.”

Director for Central and Southern Europe at the CWGC, Geert Bekaert, said:
"We are honoured to now be able to commemorate, by name, Trooper Stobart and Private Ewan It is a privilege to care for their graves and all those that lie here at Bolsena War Cemetery, in perpetuity."