大象传媒

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An Alien鈥檚 story

A different side of life in London during WW2

I was born in London of Italian parents and my life changed when World War II started, as it did for everyone in Britain. But for me and others like myself with Italian parents (and others with German parents), life was decidedly different when Mussolini sided with Hitler and then declared war on Britain.

Prior to this, I had been going to evening classes which were run by Italian teachers who taught us all about the history an geography of Italy from its early beginning. I thrived on it and when we had exams, I managed to be awarded a few bronze medals and certificates. As soon as Mussolini declared war, that was the end of Italian school.

We also had to get rid of our wireless set and my dad had to report to the local police station every week. We also had to hand in any maps we might have and the only ones we had were in my school geography books, so I had to hand these into the police station. I never did get them back. But we could still buy newspapers! Otherwise I wouldn鈥檛 have known what was going on in the world. My parents could only travel within a five mile radius form where we lived. However, the fact that we lived in a large house (which was converted into apartments and all the families were related and naturally all were Italian), this opened up a can of worms because people we had come to know and be friendly with, suddenly decided we were now enemies, and how they showed it. My aunt, who resided on the first floor apartment, was suddenly woken up one night and on looking out of the window, saw men with lighted paper trying to set fire to the place. My aunt who had a very strong voice ranted and raved so much that, thank God, they did not manage to set our house on fire but ran off. People shouted at us outside at times 鈥淕o back to your country, you b鈥�.y foreigners鈥� With all this abuse, which was very traumatic for all of us, and the bombing raids, we stuck it out and continued our lives as best we could.

Two detectives called at our house one day investigating these Italians who lived here. My dad had to show his Alien鈥檚 identity card and his passport (he had not become a British citizen, it was not necessary when he came to this country in 1919) The detectives flicked through his papers and passport, looked at my dad and said 鈥漎ou鈥檒l be alright鈥� and went. I shall always remember these words. We did not believe it, but it proved to be right for he was never taken away, not like so many of our friends who were taken, some to be interned on the Isle of Man, or like two of our friends who were taken to Australia on the ship 鈥淭he Arandora Star鈥�, only for it to be torpedoed and sunk with nearly all on board drowned. (We only knew this after the war as during the war we had no idea where these internees were going) One of my dad鈥檚 friends survived the sinking of the ship and it was a long time before we knew this, and when we did, my dad and I went to visit him at home. He was very badly injured and in a wheel chair and the only movement he could make was just by moving his eyes. There was no way they could send him elsewhere then. He did not survive soon after. To see him was terribly distressing. Why he was taken remains a mystery. The poor man had done nothing wrong. He just happened to be Italian and very unlucky. Another friend of the family (who could neither read nor write) was on that ship too and he unfortunately was drowned. Two wasted lives lost forever and with hundreds more we do not know about.

But there were people who sympathised with us. During the bombing raids, we always went to a surface shelter on the green in front of our house and the wardens in charge (husband and wife), their children and all the immediate neighbours we had come to know, all made us welcome, and treated us like we were one big family. We shall always be grateful to them.
Bombs fell all around us as they did everywhere. We were lucky and we all survived.

I was fifteen when war started and I was at secretarial college doing a secretarial course plus continuing with other lessons such as French, maths, bookkeeping, handwriting etc. I still have the certificates I was awarded during that time in between the falling bombs! What memories, good and bad. I was told that when I completed the course and wanted to find a job, I could not apply for a government job as my parents were Italian, yet directly I managed to get a job as a secretary at a Solicitor鈥檚 office, I received my call-up papers but the office had me deferred although I was not asked whether I wanted to be called up!

Soon after I was sent further call up papers and once again. Without my knowledge, the solicitors got me deferred. I never did know the reason.

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