Pink Floyd star in tribute to fallen soldier dad

The singer, who never met his father, also paid tribute to the other soldiers who perished during the 1944 Italian landings in Anzio, south of Rome, Il Messaggero reported.

Lieutenant Eric Waters Fletcher was 31 when he died during the battle with German troops after British and American forces landed in an attempt to liberate Rome on February 18th 1944. His remains were never found.

Waters, who said his death has tormented him all his live and been the inspiration behind many Pink Floyd songs, was just five months old when he was killed.

As he placed a wreath of poppies by the white marble obelisk commemorating his father in the town of Aprilia, south of Rome, on Tuesday, he said: “It is 70 years to the day since my father died here and I have finally come to the end of a journey to discover what really happened to him.”

He added: "I'm proud of my father…But I'm also proud of all that the citizens of Anzio and Aprilia have done."

The mayor of Anzio, Luciano Bruschini, told the rock star: "This will always be your second home."

The singer had no idea exactly how or where his father died until last year, when Harry Shindler, an Anzio veteran and head of the Italy Star Association for British veterans, searched war diaries and military maps and discovered a report that described the last few hours of Lieutenant Water’s Royal Fusiliers unit and the location where he was killed.

93-year-old Shindler, who lives in Italy, will be awarded an MBE on Wednesday by the British ambassador in Rome.

Shindler, who also served with the Royal Fusiliers and attended the ceremony on Tuesday, said: “Roger, I hope that you can go into calmer waters now and that this wall at least is down for you.”

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