WW2 veteran from Cramlington, aged 100, speaks at Battle of Monte Cassino commemoration event in Italy

Jack Hearn, from Cramlington, was a dispatch rider and transport driver for the Royal Army Service Corps during the battle, a series of four assaults between January and May 1944 by the Allies against German forces defending the fortified Winter Line in Italy.

The 100-year-old, among the battle’s few surviving veterans, spoke at an event to mark 80 years since the assaults at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Cassino.

Jack, who spent nearly three years in Italy with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers during the war, said: “I am here today in this special place to pay tribute to my fellow soldiers and friends with whom I fought.

“We have heard accounts from others of bravery, some who made it through and others who sadly did not.

"Thousands lost their lives in Italy and many who returned home were never the same. We remember them all today and the bitter cost of freedom.”

The Duchess of Edinburgh also attended the event and King Charles published a message reflecting on the anniversary of the battle.

The King said: “Coming together to honour the fallen on this hallowed ground reminds us that the rights and freedoms we enjoy today were won at a great cost, and bring with them great responsibilities for our generations and those yet unborn.”

More than 100 UK armed forces personnel took part in commemorations, which included a service of remembrance, prayers, and wreath laying, with the UK and Italian national anthems performed by the Honourable Artillery Company Band.

All Commonwealth countries that fought in the war were acknowledged with the reading of national citations by armed services personnel based in Italy.

Victory at the Battle of Monte Cassino allowed the Allies to continue their advance towards Rome and eventually liberate Italy from German occupation.

The battle is considered one of the most challenging battles that the UK was involved in during the Second World War. The Allies suffered around 55,000 casualties.

The fall of Rome occurred on June 4 1944, two days before the D-Day landings, ending almost two years of fighting.