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Talking about the First World War 110 years after its outbreak may seem a bit odd, but two reasons compelled me to do so. The first is that I've noticed how, over time, its memory, and especially that of its protagonists, is swarming. Even though year after year we continue to celebrate "November 4th" (with fewer and fewer participants, it must be said), it has almost become a routine, without a clear understanding, especially among the younger generations, of what is being celebrated or remembered, and even more so, why. And yet, those events, the people whose names are listed on the plaque in the square, and the deeds they accomplished, are fundamental, in my opinion, for us to understand the Italy, and Moschiano, of today.

Not only that, but as our ancient Roman ancestors said, "As long as you speak my name, I will not die," and we, by remembering their names, those of all those who participated, want to keep their memory alive. The second reason is dictated by the fact that Italian and world events, especially in recent years, have exposed a certain ignorance in us (all of us around the world) regarding our understanding of history, not as a succession of dates and names, but as a critical analysis of the facts and events that have shaped our existence, of the role it plays as a "life teacher," and of the conclusions we must draw from it. As the politician and philosopher Edmund Burke said, "He who does not know history is doomed to repeat it," with its mistakes and consequences, we add, and, it seems, we have remained ignorant for so long and continue to fail to understand. Not to mention the fact that we often suffer history rather than be its protagonists.

Building on the research done and work presented in 2022 for the Fallen and Decorated, this second part (presented here in PDF format and distributed in booklet form during the 2025 Armed Forces Day celebrations) is dedicated to all our fellow citizens who took part, and aims to help young people in particular understand that, just as our grandparents were protagonists of Italian history, so we too can and must be, in our own small way, with our daily actions and architects of our own destiny without always waiting for others to do something for us.

In the first part, we will recount the history of the Great War through the deeds of Moschiano's fallen and decorated soldiers, beginning with the geopolitical situation in Europe in the early 19th century to better understand the events and circumstances that led to this event. We will describe, in chronological order, the salient events of the various phases of the war and how, when, where, and why the citizens of Moschiano perished or were decorated with Medals of Military Valor during those years as a result of those events. We will conclude with a brief analysis of the war's consequences, the lessons it has left us, and what has happened to this day. In the second part, as evidence of all this, we will display photos of some Moschiano fighters, examples of their military service records, and certificates of some of the honors they earned.

The third section is dedicated to the transcription of the military rolls of all those who were called up and responded, as well as summary tables of all those called up, those who received honors, the fallen, wounded, and infirm, and those who, despite being called up, did not arrive for various reasons. The Appendix contains a description of the various honors awarded to the fighters of Moschiano and a description of the various categories and assignments of those called up to the units. May reading and understanding part of their lives serve as an example and inspiration. The table is a summary and presents the list of those "Called and Arrived." For a more detailed understanding of the facts, events, and people, we recommend downloading and reading the attached PDF document.

 

How we conducted the research

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This work was born as a logical consequence of the videos and related transcripts presented on this site in 2022 to commemorate the Fallen and Decorated Soldiers of Moschiano during the First World War. We began by consulting the Birth Registers of the Municipality of Moschiano between 1875 and 1899, the years in which those called up for the Great War were born. From these, we extracted the names of male births and cross-checked them with the list of Matriculation Rolls preserved and published by the National  Archives of Avellino.

Once we identified the names of the potential soldiers, we noted their serial numbers as well as the envelopes containing the detailed information regarding their military rolls. Armed with this list, we went to the State Archives of Avellino, tracked down these military rolls, and transcribed the information of all those we found there. We were thus able to transcribe the information of 149 "Called and Arrived," that is, those who in one way or another actively participated in the war and not only at the front, as well as 73 "Non-Arrived," that is, people who, despite having been called to serve, did not report for various reasons (mainly because they were currently abroad (44 people), were exempted (17 people), or avoided serving for other reasons (15 people)).

We undoubtedly forgot or omitted some, and for this we apologize. Once we had all this information, we transcribed it for easier reading, catalogued it in various tables, and, leveraging the work previously done for the Fallen and Decorated, produced the document we present here.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Rosa Manfredi and Mr. Carmine Russo for their assistance, especially during the information research phase at the National Archives of Avellino and the transcription of the information.

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Disclaimer

The transcriptions and photoreproductions of the military rolls, as well as the inclusion of information extracted from them elsewhere in this document, were made possible with the kind permission of the Ministry of Culture – State Archives of Avellino.

Further reproduction or duplication of these records by any means is prohibited.

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