Redcliff woman in Italy to meet the man her grandpa saved as a boy during the Second World War

“My grandpa didn’t talk a lot about the war and the horrible, horrible things that happened in the war. But what he did talk about was Gino and the friendship and the fun that they had with this little boy,” says Amanda.

The two became inseparable not long after meeting, she says.

“My grandpa taught him how to read, how to write, the Bible he taught him. They made him a little uniform, a military uniform so he could feel part of the group,” Amanda recalls of the stories she heard from her grandpa.

They went everywhere together for about eight months. In February 1945 the Canadian soldiers were redeployed and Gino was left with an Italian family. More than 30 years later, Lloyd began writing letters trying to find Gino. It worked and the pair reunited in 1980 at Lloyd’s home in Manitoba.

They kept in touch since then and Gino met many members of Lloyd’s family, but not Amanda. She says meeting him this week will be surreal.

Amanda says her family often said the story of Lloyd and Gino should be a movie. A Calgary company agreed and Gino, A Child of War will premiere on Canada Day in the Italian town where Gino was found.

Producer Karen Storwick says Lloyd and Gino went everywhere together during their time in Italy.

“I think there was just a very close bond that had formed and I think Gino, like I said, kind of looked at Lloyd as more of a father figure,” she says.

She says what stands out to her is how the Canadian soldiers stayed true to their values, even at the worst of times in war.

“It’s so touching when you think about how Canadians respond to situations in times of war. They bring their hearts with them and they bring their humanity with them.”

Lloyd passed away in 2012, but not before writing down the story of himself and Gino.

As the number of surviving veterans of the Second World War marches closer to zero each year, Amanda says stories like this need to be told.

“That generation is passing on and our children don’t know what took place in that time and they may not know a soldier who fought over in World War Two,” she says. “So I think it’s important that we continue to pass these things from one generation to the next.”

Gino, A Child of War will premiere in Calgary on Oct. 15 at the Italian Cultural Community Centre. It will be open to the public, on a first-come, first-serve basis at $10 per ticket.

It’s hoped there will be a showing in Medicine Hat sometime later in the fall or early next year.

by Chris Brown

Redcliff woman in Italy to meet the man her grandpa saved as a boy during the Second World War

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