I love this mjp, thank you for sharing.. I’m actually Italian/Irish my mother is from southern Italy (my user name is the city she comes from in Calabria) and her father was captured by the allied forces in North Africa.. he was shipped to England as a prisoner of war and returned to England with his wife and kids in the 50’s to work on the farms that used his labour as a prisoner..
You never know he may have come across your father.. who by the way, sounds like such an amazing guy.. incredible in fact, the service he gave to your country can never be forgotten.. and must make you feel so proud to be his son.
Where I live now in Southampton, there is a wall by a hotel, that looks completely normal, but when you get close you can see name’s etched in to it, it is guys from the US WWII forces queuing and waiting to get on the ships back to the US.. when I pass it next I’ll take some photos and message you so you can see what I mean.. I always feel emotional when I see it.