John (jack) mannix shinnick, was my grandad. He died in January of this year (2015). He wrote an epic account of the battle of cassino. The detailed account in his book Forgotten Front describes the immense struggles and risk to life these men took on daily basis throughout the war. Not only was jack a member of the infantry of the 2nd NZ expeditionary force who took part in the Italian campaign, he was also a loved father and grandfather to us all. We will cherish the time we spent with this special person we call grandad, and will always be truly grateful for what he did for our country during the war.