It's not often I cry watching TV. Like many in the developed world I am probably overly sensitive to my own suffering and somewhat de-sensitized to that of others. But occasionally something strikes a nerve.

In this case my friend Dave had recommended I watch an episode of Channel 4's World War II's Great Escapes: The Freedom Trails. It was all about Operation Galia; a story of courage, slaughter and resilience in the mountains of Italy during a particularly dark period in this young nation’s history.