Cemetery for Italian Prisoners of War in India: Sewri Mumbai
Fabrizio Turchi is looking for information on two family members who died as prisoners of war in India:
1) Soldier Gallegati Enrico: born 30/06/1909, died 29/09/1941. Camp n°6.
2) Sergeant Turchi Guerrino: born 25/12/1916, died 21/09/1943. Camp n°3.
And so began the search to find the final resting place for Enrico and Guerrino and some 800 other Italian prisoners of war who died in the camps of India.
At the time of their deaths, they were buried in camp cemeteries. In 1953, their bodies were exhumed and buried in a central place: the Catholic Cemetery of Bombay: Sewri Cemetery Mumbai. The memorial was opened in 1954.
The Consolato Generale d’Italia Mumbai arranges a yearly ceremony every November:
“As per tradition, we will remember with a religious ceremony, Italian citizens, who died as prisoners of war in India during the Second World War and are buried in the Military Memorial of Sewree.”
“Su un’altura del camposanto, a destra rispetto all’ingresso, sorge il Sacrario militare italiano eretto nel 1954 dal governo di Roma per onorare i circa 500 prigionieri di guerra italiani deceduti tra il 1941 e il 1947 in India. E’ una costruzione in mattoni rossi con decine di loculi con il nome dei soldati, la data e il luogo del decesso.”
Inside the Sacrario Militare Italiano is an altar and on either side are plaques and niches for each Italian:
The story of one Italian prisoner of war buried in India: Lo Zio Mori in India
(photos from TripAdvisor)
Footprints of Italian Prisoners of War in Australia 