World War II leave centres in Italy

[Anne Saunders]

Greetings, does anyone know the locations of leave centres for South Africans in Italy during World War II; sometimes they were called the "Springbok Club." I am trying to pin down the exact locations of those clubs in Rome and elsewhere. Thanks!

[AdlerTS]

Hello ! I never heard about any of these locations close to Trieste. Hopefully there are some of the guys writing on this forum that know about Rome: let's wait and see. Greetings to Ron that suggest you to visit us

[Anne Saunders]

Yes, Ron did suggest to post my query here. I am trying to help a woman who is tracing her dad's path through Italy.

BTW I visited Trieste two years ago ......such a lovely city. Went there in part to see the area's WWII sites, which I describe in my travel guidebook about WWII sites in Italy. That book was published in 2010 by Travel Guide Press.

Best,
anne saunders

[Ciancele]

Two cousins of mine joined 1944 in Rimini the Yugoslav unit in the South African division as a part of the Eight Army. As far as I know they never came to Trieste, they stopped in Pordenone or Palmanova. June or July 1945 the Yugoslav unit has been dissolved, part of them went to Tito and others to South Africa. My cousins told us that the division shall go back home in August 1945. British elements met in Trieste in the NAAFI or in civilian inns like “Il gatto nero” (Black Cat). At that time I was civilian employee in BETFOR so that I had some acquaintances, but I also never heard of a South African unit or leave centre. The Fifth Army fought at the other side and entered Rome on June 1944. I doubt that between June 1944 and April 1945 soldiers have been allowed to go on leave to Rome.