Today, Sunday, Nov. 6, Italy's Ambassador to Kenya Roberto Natali will attend with members of Comites Kenya (Committee of Italians Abroad) and other compatriots who want to remember our fallen soldiers of World War II in Africa, at a ceremony honoring Italian prisoners in Kenya and Duke Amedeo d'Aosta held at the Nyeri shrine.
The Italian Military Memorial, in the town just over two hours from the capital Nairobi, was built by the Italian government between 1950 and 1952 on land offered in concession by the Consolata Missions.
It houses not only the remains of Duke Amedeo D'Aosta, commander of the troops who surrendered to the British army in the Ethiopian mountains of Amba Alagi, but those of 700 other Italian prisoners who from 1941 to 1946 were held in 15 camps in East Africa and mainly in Kenya and had already been buried in 25 war cemeteries scattered around the country.
Inside the shrine, it is possible to read the names of the servicemen who lost their lives during captivity, after being deported and forced into hard labor and conditions at the limit of human endurance, including infectious diseases, insects and animals, poor food and zero hygiene.
The Duke of Aosta himself, while kept in a particular prison, Macmillan Castle near Thika, already suffering from tuberculosis, died of malaria.
The Nyeri Shrine, in addition to preserving and displaying the Duke's tomb inside the church and the tombstones of fallen prisoners, houses part of a monument carved and historiated by Italian prisoners that Comites transported from Thika and also graves commemorating the Muslim ascari who were taken prisoners along with the Italians and deported.
Starting at 10 a.m. this morning, the Italians with their highest diplomatic representative will participate in a mass for the fallen soldiers, followed by refreshments for the attendees in the adjoining premises of the Consolata missions.