A BRIDGWATER war veteran made an emotional return to the battlefields he once fought in.

William Huxtable, aged 92, served in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War at bases throughout the South-West before he was posted to Algiers and then Italy in 1944.

He recently went back to southern Italy to attend a special memorial service thanks to a Heroes Return grant awarded by the Big Lottery Fund.

The battles in southern Italy, around Salerno, Cassino and Anzio, were some of the bloodiest seen in the war, and thousands of lives were lost.

William, who joined the Army in 1935, aged 16, said: “This was the first time since the war that I had been back to Italy. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time and I had an excellent trip.

“I attended a memorial service there led by an Italian Priest from Rome and I was able to visit the many cemeteries they have there, which are kept beautifully.

“As well as British veterans there are Canadian, French, Moroccan and Polish men buried there. There were so many graves.”

Mark Cotton from the Big Lottery Fund said the Heroes Return scheme helps war veterans fulfil their ambitions to make personal voyages back to the battlefronts.

He added: “The popularity of Heroes Return is reflected in the many emotional letters we have received from veterans and their families.

“It is clear how valuable these journeys are in helping veterans come to terms with traumatic events and experiences and to remember those lost almost 70 years ago.”