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There were a lot of Italian POW’s based at the village of Somerton. We used to love going to play with them. They’d spend hours playing Neapolitan music on their guitars and mandolins and I developed my love for Italian music and opera during my time with them.

Eventually there were 50 or so Sicilian and mainland Italians at barracks at Somerton, but the first twelve to arrive were Sicilians and they were ‘trustees’. Since they had collaborated with Britain, they were allowed a certain amount of freedom and worked on the farms during the day. Some visited Hadleigh. They were very distinctive: they wore khaki uniforms with triangular badges sewn of to the sleeves and backs of their jackets to show they were POW’s. They weren’t allowed out at night, however, unless they were escorted. They held little dances at the Old Rectory at Somerton and local people were invited. The Italians played the music or used a wind-up gramophone.

Armed escorts took them in vehicles to church services on a Sunday, sometimes at Mildenhall. They used to bring swiss rolls and lemon sherbet powder back for us and because they missed their families, they enjoyed having us around. I remember summer evenings when they’d catch rabbits and cook them with us. They would also catch hedgehogs. They’d gut them, roll them out and make fires in the earth. The hedgehogs were rolled up in clay and baked in the ashes. Then the Italians would hit the clay off and the prickles would come off with it and then they’d eat the meat with bread.

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