 His parents had met in 1915 in La Spezia, where Silvio Uderzo was recovering after he had been wounded in his service for the Royal Italian Army during World War I. Uderzo's mother, Iria Crestini, was working in the arsenals of La Spezia, along with many young Italian women at the time.Silvio was dismissed from military service after the conclusion of the conflict, on 19 June 1919.The two became a couple and married shortly before the birth of their first child, Bruno (1920–2004).