Reginald Stanley HARRISON 1919-1944

5338643 Private Reginald Stanley Harrison, 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment died 12 July 1944 aged 25.  He is buried at Arezzo War Cemetery, Italy [1] and commemorated on West Auckland War Memorial.

Family Details

Reginald Stanley Harrison was born 1919,[2] the son of William and Anne Harrison. His birth was registered in Windsor.  In 1943, Reginald Harrison and Eugenie Wade were married, registered in Western Durham.[3]

Service Details

The service details of Private Reginald Stanley Harrison have not been researched.

On 3 September 1943, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side.  Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance but the advance was checked for some months at the Germans winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line.  The line eventually fell in May 1944 as the Germans withdrew.  Rome was taken by the Allies on 3 June.  The Germans made a stand in front of Arezzo early in July 1944 and there was fierce fighting before the town was taken on 16 July 1944 by the 6th Armoured Division with the aid of the 2nd New Zealand Division.[4]

Burial [5]

Private Reginald Stanley Harrison is buried at grave reference Area 17 Plot 4 Row D Grave 16 Arezzo War Cemetery, Italy.  His body was identified by his disc and it was reburied 23 May 1945 along with 1 officer and 9 other ranks from the Royal Sussex Regiment.  His headstone bears the following epitaph:

“Loving thoughts sweet and tender just to show we still remember”

The site for this cemetery was selected in November 1944 and graves from the surrounding area were brought in.  Arezzo War Cemetery contains 1,266 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.

REFERENCES

[1] Commonwealth War Grave Commission

[2] England & Wales Birth Index 1916-2007 Vol.2c p.686 1919Q3 Windsor, Berkshire

[3] England & Wales Marriage Index 1916-2005 Vol.10a p.418 1943Q2 Durham Western

[4] CWGC

[5] CWGC