Views of the Abbey

This photo was taken with my little camera on maximum zoom from a higher point behind the abbey. If you look carefully you can see the outline of Monte Trocchio, the Allied Observation Post, framing the abbey.
Here in peaceful gardens we see the reality of war. Every time I stand in these places I think "every one of these soldiers had a mother..."

This photo shows Monte Cassino after the fire in 2004. The Commonwealth Cemetery in the foreground is beautifully maintained, now by second generation caretakers from the same family. Temporary war-time graves were exhumed and all 4,271 Commonwealth soldiers, airmen and an Australian journalist killed in this wider area are buried here in Cassino. New Zealand airmen are buried alongside their crews in the British section of the cemetery. The large panels in the centre hold the names of all the unidentifed and the missing presumed killed who still lie in the hills nearby. This link shows other Commonwealth war graves in Italy. It is in Italian, but has many photographs and designs, well worth scrolling through.