The Chapel of the Fallen is dedicated to the residents of Trecella who lost their lives during the tragic events of World War II. In 1945, the village, which had fewer than two thousand inhabitants, suffered significant losses, with 42 dead, including the victims of the dramatic incident on May 7, 1945, which still remains one of the deepest scars in the community’s collective memory. 

Inside the chapel stands the statue of Our Lady of the Rain, a work dating back to the early 19th century, recently restored thanks to contributions from volunteer associations and private citizens. The name originates from an ancient local tradition: during periods of drought, the statue was carried in procession through the streets of the village, praying for rain to save the crops. The statue was originally placed in the parish church of Saints Marco and Gregorio, but in 1914, upon request by Trecella’s inhabitants, it was moved to the chapel, as a permanent tribute to the fallen. 

A marble slab shows the names of those who donated for its restoration, highlighting the community’s commitment to preserving the historical memory of the place.

THE RAF AVIATOR’S TOMB 
A few hundred metres from the chapel, in Trecella’s cemetery, there is a burial place of great symbolic value: the tomb of Sergeant J. K. Allan, a young aviator from the Royal Air Force, killed during a military operation in the final days of World War II. 

The pilot, aged twenty, was on a mission to destroy Cassano d’Adda’s bridge on the Milan-Venice railway line and was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire in Pioltello, crashing into the fields of Trecella. 

He came from Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and belonged to the 237th Air Squadron, attached to the British Royal Air Force.

As a mark of respect, the Municipality of Pozzuolo Martesana granted him a perpetual burial site in Trecella’s cemetery, where every year his sacrifice and the commitment of the Allied forces in the fight against Nazism and Fascism are honoured.

In 1959, the pilot’s parents visited Trecella intending to move his mortal remains to a British military cemetery. However, upon seeing his well-kept grave, they decided to let him rest where he had fallen, in appreciation of the affection with which the local community had preserved his memory.

Today, the tomb is cared for by the local section of the ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans). On April 24, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the event, in the presence of the Municipal Authority and local associations. a plaque was placed here, to honour the memory of Sergeant Allan.