POW Camp Chapel
104 County Road 507, Hereford, TexasGPS Coords: 34.7457545, -102.4244861
POW Camp Chapel
This chapel is one of the few physical reminders of the days this site served as an Italian prisoner of ear camp guring World War II. The prisoners, several of them fine artisans and craftsmen, designed and built the chapel, crafting the concrete building to resemble marble. Completed in 1945, the chapel stands as a memorial to the five Italians who died while interned at the camp. A restoration project, begun in 1987 was completed in 1989. [Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992]
Note that these men are not buried at this location. They were re-interred at Fort Reno, Oklahoma, in 1947.
This chapel is one of the few physical reminders of the days this site served as an Italian prisoner of ear camp guring World War II. The prisoners, several of them fine artisans and craftsmen, designed and built the chapel, crafting the concrete building to resemble marble. Completed in 1945, the chapel stands as a memorial to the five Italians who died while interned at the camp. A restoration project, begun in 1987 was completed in 1989. [Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992]
A single cenotaph is inscribed "Dedicated to the memory of the five Italians for whom their comrades built this chapel."
| Name | Birth | Death | Inscriptions/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renzo Banzi | 16 Apr 1900 | 26 Jul 1945 | CPT; He was exhumed from Ft Reno and returned to Italy on June 2, 2000. |
| Pierluigi Berticelli | 27 Aug 1921 | 8 May 1945 | CPL; He was exhumed from Ft Reno and returned to Barlassina, Italy, on December 10, 1996. |
| Evaristo Fava | 7 Jul 1909 | 17 Oct 1944 | LT |
| Innocente Ortelli | 23 May 1920 | 2 Aug 1943 | PVT |
| Giulio Zamboni | 31 Dec 1897 | 11 Oct 1945 | SGT |