Primosole Bridge Memorial

The Rifles Durham Office and DLI Association were concerned about the poor state of the Primosole Bridge DLI memorial at Catania, Sicily, where it was also threatened by extensions to the adjacent airport.

  UPDATE (April 2007):

The Mayor of Catania, Signor Guelli, has been able to employ contractors to repair and re-site the memorial about 250 metres away in an area close to the Oasis Nature Reserve where there is convenient car parking and good path access for visitors.

The re-dedication ceremony, the refurbished memorial and Major Lawton with DLI veterans of the Primosole action, Dick Atkinson and Harry Lidster.

Primosole Bridge

The permanent DLI memorial at Primosole Bridge, was raised to honour those members of the DLI who fell in battle there in 1943, but was in urgent need of repair and restoration to secure its long term survival.

One of the Battle Honours of the regiment recognises the contribution of the DLI in the landings in Sicily and, particularly, the action at Primosole Bridge.

Primosole Bridge was a key bridge on the Sicilian coast near Mt. Etna which the British required intact to continue their drive along the coast.

General Montgomery executed a rather brave plan, seen again later in the war at Arnhem, of dropping airborne elements on July 13th 1943 to seize the vital crossing of the Simeto River, 7 miles south of Catania. This was a potential bottleneck for any Allied advance north along the coast.

As part of the overall plan 3rd Commando battalion were to capture the Ponti di Malati, another bridge just north of Lentini, to enable the 50th Infantry Division and 4th Armoured Brigade to sweep north over both bridges and then on to Catania.It was not to be the last time in the war that the 1st Para went "a bridge too far".  Only 295 men out of the entire Brigade were dropped accurately enough to take part in the attack on the bridge. 1st and 2nd Para took the southern approaches, but 3rd Para lacked the numbers to secure the northern approach.

Heavily outnumbered, the handful of Paras were forced to abandon the bridge after 24 hours, which was longer than the entire Brigade was supposed to hold it, and were saved from destruction by the arrival of 9th Durham Light Infantry. On 16 July 1943 at 01:30, after an artillery bombardment of an hour, the Durham Light Infantry 6th, 8th and 9th battalions of 151st Brigade launched another attack to secure Primosole Bridge. They captured the north end of the Bridge but tanks and infantry scheduled to cross immediately afterwards to establish a bridgehead failed to do so because of the failure of British wireless sets.

Only when a War Office observer riding a bicycle crossed the bridge to 'observe' the battle and was able to report with news of the success of the DLI did the tanks get forward. However, the northern side of the bridge became a tank graveyard in which five Sherman tanks were knocked out. Meanwhile the infantry clung tenaciously to the small bridgehead established and fierce hand-to-hand fighting continued through the day. 

These photographs highlight the deterioration of the stonework, though restorative work and re-siting has now been completed

Primosole Bridge from the southern side.

The farm buildings on the opposite side of the river were cleared by 'A' and 'D' Companies.

A wrecked German troop carrier can be seen in the left foreground.

To listen to contemporary descriptions of the action at Primosole Bridge visit the DLI Museum website. (click on the Museum name below)

 DLI MUSEUM

Follow the links  -  'DLI Museum' then 'Sound Clips'. Select play method then select Sound Clip 23.

To read the story click on the picture (below) of the memorial cairn raised after the battle in

honour of the DLI soldiers at the junction of Catania road and the sunken road.

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                          To download at no cost click the link here