The Duke and His Men: Eternal Guardians of Italian East Africa

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The interior of the Italian War Memorial Church. Picture courtesy of Skyscrapercity.com

 The Memorial Church, which is not a traditional church but used only as a memorial and tomb, sits between the Aberdare range and Mount Kenya near the River Chania.  The quaint brick structure quietly stands amongst a tree filled compound near the heart of the small city.  The church was built in 1952, funded by both the Italian government and Italian nationals residing in Kenya. Inside one finds a splendid marble interior featuring an equally glorious marble alter located at the front center of the church.  Rows of simple wooden pews sit in the soft glow of light let in through the many windows that are positioned high on the walls.  Along both sides of the chapel are rows of vaults, each containing the remains of a fallen soldier of Italy.  A committee had been created in 1955 to gather all of the known remains of Italian soldiers scattered about in graveyards around East Africa, and transport them to the Memorial church were they could be interned forever in its hallowed walls.  The Memorial Church holds in the safety of its vaults 676 of these fallen warriors.  Near the alter sits a singular tomb, one that contains the remains of Prince Amedeo.    As one looks from the rear of the church to the front, the Duke is positioned in the center, his men arranged on his flanks.  Writer Rupi Mangat described the arrangement as  “The very positioning of the soldiers imitates a real-life soldiers parade awaiting inspection”.  They will wait loyally on their Prince forever .     

Outside the church there are several other neatly arranged vaults.  These vaults contain the remains of native Africans, mostly from Somaliland, who fought and died for Italy and the Duke.  Their vaults lie outside the church as their Muslim faith dictates.  Perhaps there is no better testament to the respect and loyalty that the Duke of Aosta received from his men then these vaults lining the perimeter of the Church.  The men buried here, who never saw or stepped foot in Italy, gave their unflinching loyalty and in the end sacrificed their very lives not for Il Duce or a far away country in the Mediterranean.  They had given until their dying breath to fight by the side of Amedeo Savoia-Aosta.   He had become their Prince as well.

Day after day, and night after night the Memorial Church stands proudly on the plains of Africa.  It serves as a monument to the tens of thousands of Italians who gave all they had for their country.  The souls of the men inside its walls are the last rear guard of the once proud army they served.  They stand as sentinels for eternity, watching over an Empire that was not to be.

References:

The Italian Army at War Europe 1940-43. Philip Jowett & Dmitriy Zgonnik

Mussolini and his Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy 1922-1940. John Gooch

Haile Selassie’s War: Anthony Mockler                                                

 All Africa.com

Wikipedia Articles

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Strong interest in WW2. My Father served in the Pacific with 710 Tank BTL at Anguar, Peleliu, and Philippines. Grandfather was in Italian Army shortly after WW1.

Peleliu81

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