Knutsford resident remembers brother shot at Monte Cassino

John Allcock, 92, who lives in Knutsford, has paid tribute to his brother, Alec, who died during the Second World War aged just 23.

The Coldstream Guard was shot and killed during the intense fighting of the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Italian campaign.

Alec and his wife Edith got married before he left for the war and she was pregnant at the time.

Tragically, he never had the chance to meet his son.

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Alec was buried in the war cemetery in Monte Cassino.

John visited his brother’s grave with his late wife Jackie during a trip to Italy in the 1970s.

He recalled the joy of being able to track down the grave with the help of the Royal War Graves Commission.

Courageous Coldstream Guard Alec Allcock remembered by brother John and residents at Sharston House (Image: Sharston House)

John served in the Army himself with the Royal Engineers from 1948 to 1950.

He is equally proud of his dad Isaac’s First World War service in the Machine Gun Corps.

His father was awarded an MBE for his work in the Civil Service during the Second World War.

The medal is displayed in his room at Sharston House Nursing Home in Manor Park South, where he has lived since September, 2021.

John, who also lost three cousins in the Royal Navy, walked to the town’s memorial with hospitality host Michaela Ward to lay a cross in his brother’s name.