The Association of British Ex-Pats in Italy was founded by Harry Shindler.
He is a veteran of the allied landings at Anzio in WWII and a tireless worker for Anglo–Italian relations. On February 19th 2014 he was honoured by HM The Queen with an MBE presented to him by the British Ambassador in Rome.
Harry Shindler 
Harry Shindler at the European Commission 
with Roger Waters 
with Amb. Prentice
Harry Shindler has worked thirty years and more for Anglo-Italian relations, for the rights of British ex-pats in Italy, for the Italy Star Association, and perhaps most importantly of all in keeping the memory alive of the British servicemen who fought and died to liberate Italy in World War II. His work includes talks in schools and universities, to educate young students and raise the awareness of young people on why the war was fought. He has worked tirelessly in helping to find the graves of British servicemen killed or listed as missing in action during the Second World War and he has recently helped Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters discover the battlefield scene where his father was killed near Anzio, when Waters was an infant.
No objective has been too great, no task too onerous, and his extraordinary tenacity in seeking to overcome the many obstacles and challenges that he has faced is an extraordinary example to us all. He recently has also been fighting in the European Court of Human Rights for the right of ex-pats to retain the ability to vote in British elections beyond the 15-year limit, raising considerable support in the UK and EU for this objective.