Author David Shaw pays homage to South African soldiers in WWII in new book

A Pinelands author has honoured his father and South African soldiers who fought in World War II in his debut book titled The Italian Campaign.

About 50 guests attended author David Shaw's book launch at Pinelands restaurant on Tuesday, November 4.

Mr Shaw, 72, who is a retired Muizenberg High School principal, said his book captures the World War II history around a South African squad of soldiers, which was called the 6th South African Armoured Division, which landed at the boot of Italy in the city of Taranto in April 1944.

“It follows their routes as they fought their way up the spine of Italy against German forces,” he said.

At the heart of this story is the journey of Mr Shaw’s late father, Captain Edward Shaw, who served as an Information officer with a military unit called the Witwatersrand Rifles/De la Rey Battalion (WR/DLR) that served with the 6th South African Armoured Division.

Mr Shaw’s fascination with his father’s history led him and his wife, Luigina, to visit Italy in 2023 to see where his father had been stationed during the war.

“I read up on the history, I visited places where the battles took place, and we imagined what it would have been like during that time,” he said.

Mr Shaw said he saw a few remarkable sites during his Italian visit, one site that stood out was a Monument dedicated to the South African soldiers on the slopes of Monte Stanco.

“It was there that they achieved a great victory against the German soldiers,” he said.

Mr Shaw said it was important for him to capture this history, as he grew up listening to stories from his parents. His late mother, Captain Marjorie Shaw, was part of the armed forces, where she served as a commanding officer at the Red Cross and was part of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force stationed in South Africa.

“I was fascinated by the history of that time, especially when I realised that South Africans were honoured by the Italians for their contributions," he said.

The Italian Campaign also features various historical pictures from Mr Shaw's parent's photo album which were of Italy during 1944, as well as images captured by Mr Shaw from his 2023 Italian trip.

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Italian Campaign, email italiancampaignWRDLR@gmail.com