The earliest documented record of Alfonso is his military record from Campobasso.

Since the creation of the Italian state in the 1860s, all Italian males, subject to certain exceptions, had been subject to military duty. All young men were required to serve in or register for military service in Italy. Training would begin at age 18 and would continue throughout their life. The three premilitari years begin at age 18 and continue to age 21. The period of military service itself begins at age 21. This mandatory military service continued until December 2004 when it was abolished.

There are three official documents referring to Alfonso held by the Archivio di Stato, Campobasso, Isernia. These comprise:

• (i) Lista di Leve (Conscription Record)
• (ii) Registro di Ruolo Matricola 22914 (Service Record #22914)
• (iii)Registro di Ruolo Matricola 24118 (Service Record #24118)

All three documents contain the same descriptive information concerning Alfonso:

Figlio: di fu Ferdinando & di Pacitti Maria Antonia
Nato: il 3 Agosto 1887 a Filignano circondario di Isernia
Statura (height): m 1,68 (5ft 6in) - Torace (chest): 0.88m (35 in)
Capelli (hair): colore: castagni (brown) - forma: lisci (straight)
Occhi (eyes): castagni (brown) - colorito (skin): pallido (pale) - dentature (teeth): sana (good)
Arte o professione (skill or profession): Gelatiere (ice cream dealer)
(although on the second service record, Alfonso's profession was described as: falegname (carpenter))
Se sa leggere (able to write): Si - scrivere (able to read): Si

Born in 1887, Alfonso was 'enlisted' as part of Classe 1887 and first called up in 1907. His conscription record Lista di Leva starts from 1907 and contains these entries:

22 April 1907: examined at the Italian Consulate in Glasgow, Scotland and deemed Class I and able to be enlisted.
4 May 1915: his exemption (for medical reasons) was cancelled and he was assessed as able to be enlisted again.
19 February 1917: enlistment postponed because he was abroad
1 August 1917: Declared exempt
19 January 1918: assessed Class II

The service records from Campobasso indicate two periods in the army. The first (22914) from 1907 to 1916 comprised his initial military service and subsequent periods on leave. The second (24118) from 1918 to 1919 covered the latter period of the First World War.


The 'service' photograph is from the second period of military duty. The ‘postcard’ produced by Fotografia G. Girodi, Ivrea, Italy and contains Alfonso, his brothers Michele and Gioacchino, Michele di Mascio (a close family friend) and one other unidentified person. The uniforms they are wearing are from the Italian army at that time and four of them sport the insignia ’54’. The 54th Infantry (Fanteria) of the Umbria Brigade (Brigata Umbria) was based in Ivrea and the uniform style matches that of an infantryman before and during WW1. This together with his specific service record details would place the date of the photo as 1918.

Timeline:

Matricola (Serial No.) #22914

• 6 Maggio 1907: Called up but left on unlimited leave since he was abroad
• 20 Ottobre 1907: Call up delayed until 31 March 1908
• 9 Marzo 1908: Called up and enrolled in 57^th Infantry Regiment
• 30 Settembre 1908: Promoted to Corporal
• 31 Luglio 1909: promoted to Corporal Major
• 1 Settembre 1909: Sent on extraordinary leave pending unlimited leave. Declared to have maintained good conduct and to have served with allegiance and honour.
• 14 Agosto 1911: Called up but did not enlist for medical reasons
• 21 Luglio 1915: Called up but left on unlimited leave since he was abroad
• 24 Marzo 1916: Exempted due to varicose veins in both legs and discharged.



Matricola (Serial No.) #24118

• 4 Maggio 1918: Mobilised and arrived at the Military District of Torino, Barracks of 54^o Reggimento Fanteria.
• 13 Ottobre 1918: Transferred to Squadra Rialza Ferrovie dello Stato di Alessandria and assigned to the barracks of 38^o Reggimento Fanteria
• 10 Ottobre 1919: Fully discharged
• 3 July 1927: Inscribed into Roll 71 B of Discharged Infantry Forces at the Military District of Campobasso



57^th Infantry Regiment

Origini e vicende organiche Trae origini dal 57° Reggimento costituito a Milano il 24 gennaio 1861 che con il 58° Reggimento viene inserito nella Brigata "Abruzzi". Con l'applicazione della legge del 1926 sull'ordinamento dell'esercito, assume il nome di 57° Reggimento Fanteria "Abruzzi" ed a seguito della formazione delle Brigate su tre reggimenti viene assegnato alla IX Brigata di Fanteria assieme al 49° Reggimento Fanteria "Parma" ed al 79° Reggimento Fanteria "Roma"; nella occasione viene articolato su due battaglioni.



38^th Infantry Regiment

- to be added -