- Contributed by听
- London Borough of Newham Public
- People in story:听
- Isola Comparini
- Location of story:听
- London
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A5821391
- Contributed on:听
- 20 September 2005
Isola
In 1939, I was staying in London but in September that year, war broke out and I had to return to my mother in Roggio, Italy. I was in possession of my English passport and mother and I were anxious that the Germans might find it during one of their frequent raids. The best thing to do we decided, was to hide it but we couldn't decide where the best place for this would be. We asked my grandfather for advice -
"I have an idea! Would you like to hear it?" he said.
"Yes," we replied eagerly. He told me to fetch a metal box from the cupboard and we placed the passport inside.
"Now go and hide it under the pile of wood which we keep for winter fuel." We agreed that it would never be discovered there and so I immediately took the box to the barn. There it remained for the duration of the war.
When the war was over and I was ready to return to England, I searched and searched for my passport with no luck. We couldn't ask my grandfather since he had sadly died in 1944. It was the end of winter and the pile of wood had, for the first time, reached the bottom. As I picked up the last pieces of wood, I discovered the box, covered in tiny splinters of wood. My mother and I were very relieved. At last I could go back to England.
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