Under Italian Skies by Bill Massey

Reviewed by Anna Nochasek-Smith

I haven’t forgotten that hallowed spot
Where one of our comrades lies,
While a mother weeps for the one who sleeps
Under Italian skies. (M. Massey)

Under Italian Skies tells the story of one man’s experience of the war, yet it manages to convey the heartbreak, the grief, and the indomitable hope of a generation. A straightforward and simple narrative telling the story of a humble man from Manitoba, it brings history to life as we read of the camaraderie and the horror that this man witnessed in his youth.

Author Bill Massey is telling the story of his uncle, Mert Massey, who left Manitoba for England and the Second World War at the age of twenty-five. A young man with a farm background and mechanical skills, he served as a driver and mechanic through intense conditions in Italy. A true son of the prairies, he drove to exhaustion, worked on repairing vehicles in the convoy, and somehow found time to drop by an Italian farm to help with the work, sharing rations and friendship as well as labour. He was always ready to volunteer when called upon, and perhaps the most memorable act was his role in the raising and education of Gino, a small Italian boy found starving after his home was destroyed. Before leaving England, Mert had met, courted, and proposed to the love of his life, and her letters as well as those of family at home were his support as the situation in Italy escalated.

Mert Massey’s nephew did not know him that well but recognized the importance of his story. Since Mert did not talk about the war, except to his companions from those days, the research the author did was impressive: gathering the stories and recollections of family and friends, studying the letters, reading the poems that Mert composed. These poems are deceptive in their simplicity: There is a gentleness, almost an innocence in the early ones, capturing experiences and feelings of first love, but they become increasingly intense as the shells fall closer, as the deaths mount, as the devastation becomes overwhelming. The poignancy and yearning reach deep into the heart.

The author has chosen to have Mert himself tell the story, and his use of the first person is highly effective. Drawing on the stories and the memories and the poems, he created an impression of his uncle and cast the story in his voice. This brings us closer to the story and to its teller, and I am sure that it was also like this for the author. The telling is consistent with the letters and poems included and draws us deeply into the hopes and fears Mert faced.

I admit that I once thought, in my naivety, that “at least the drivers and mechanics were not in the front lines.” Ah, but they were. They drove over mine-seeded roads, along switchbacks, through seas of mud, under fire and in icy rain. They travelled into high-risk zones to retrieve and repair vehicles. Furthermore, they worked burial detail, laying our decomposing bodies two feet apart in shallow trenches. They saw a child racing into his home and saw the home explode. They raised Gino from the horror of his life, and then found that the military did not share their commitment in this area. And then, of course, there were the times of combat. All the images crowd the soldier’s mind and will not retreat.

This book would be a good starting point for a high school unit on the Second World War, for discussion and for various projects. It is an important story, for it tells all the little stories of the good people and the war that they carried in their memories, every day going forward. Thank you, Bill, for introducing us to your uncle. It is an honour to come to know him.

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About the Author

Bill Massey grew up in a poverty-stricken and troubled home on a farm in Manitoba. He taught for ten years and became a principal for the next twenty-three. Under Italian Skies, his third book is about his uncle Mert who served in Italy in WWII. Bill and Dorothy raise sheep, pigs and chickens and have a big garden on their regenerative farm. They love to share their life with their children and grandchildren.

About the Reviewer

Anne M. Smith-Nochasak grew up in rural western Nova Scotia, where she currently resides and teaches part-time after many years working in northern communities. She has self-published three novels using the services of Friesen Press: A Canoer of Shorelines (2021), The Ice Widow (2022), and River Faces North (Taggak Journey, Book 1, being released in early September 2024). She is currently a member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia. https://www.acanoerofshorelines.com/

Book Details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bill Massey

• Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 16 2025

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Print length ‏ : ‎ 204 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 173863292X

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1738632923