ART TREASURES [Allocated Title] EASTER PRAYERS [Allocated Title] BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]

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Metadata
  • Title: ART TREASURES [Allocated Title] EASTER PRAYERS [Allocated Title] BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
  • Film Number: AYY 702/5-6
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: The recovery of art treasures from the ruins of Castle Nunziate, Sicily, which had been hidden before the German occupation. The castle was badly damaged during the destruction of Mignano. Men of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), 1st Division, at a church service on the Anzio Bridgehead on Easter Sunday.
  • Description: 9 April 1944 (Sergeant D. C. Courtenay). Italian civilians excavating the castle ruins with pickaxes. Various shots of men digging and removing boulders and stones, one man is wearing a suit. The men are watched by Lieutenant A. A. Simpson from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, working for the Allied Military Government (AMG). The men pull an armchair out of the ruins. Close up of vases on the ground. Panning shot of the ruins. A soldier stands in a doorway. Pan of the countryside from the castle. View from the castle of a woman walking along a path through the ruins below. Two men and a young woman wearing trousers removing stones. They uncover a large tapestry in the ruins. Two men inside the castle finish rolling up the tapestry and tie it up. The tapestry is carried out of the castle and down the slope. The two men carry it through the doorway of a police station, which is guarded by a soldier and a policeman. A sign on the wall reads Out of Bounds. 9 April 1944 (Sergeant B. J. Richiardi). A large congregation of soldiers and two dogs attend an outdoor service on Easter Sunday, given by Padre C. W. Lapsley, who is dressed in a cassock and surplice. The men wear steel helmets and carry weapons. The Padre chatting with the men. Close up of a small group of men, heads bowed in prayer. Final brief shot of the Padre reading the service.
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-04-09
  • Production Country:
  • Production Details: Courtney (Sergeant) () Richiardi (Sergeant) ()
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: Italy 1939-1945 (theme) Sicily, Italy (geography) Operation Husky, Allied Invasion of Sicily 1943, Italy, Second World War (event)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Footage: 393 ft; Running time: 4 minutes
  • Notes: The dope sheet states that Nunziate Castle was owned by Lord B. Guinness.
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    AYY 702/5-6

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:
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