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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Wartime in Italy stories - Isola and Luigi's story

by London Borough of Newham Public

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Isola and Luigi

Contributed by听
London Borough of Newham Public
People in story:听
Isola Comparini
Location of story:听
Roggio, Tuscany, Italy
Background to story:听
Civilian
Article ID:听
A7566294
Contributed on:听
06 December 2005

Luigi came from the next village to ours and was in the Kings Army. He had been sent to our area to do a few days work and was returning to his battalion in Genoa with another soldier who came from our village.
Mama and I were going into the city to do some shopping and we met them at the station. The soldier we knew introduced Luigi to us and we talked a while before we got on the train. We were helped onto the train and found some seats and a short while later were joined by Luigi and his friend. We chatted on the journey then went our separate ways.
Back in the village after our trip, I received a postcard. Luigi had found out my name and asked if we could write to each other. I wrote back to say I might like to see him again. I didn鈥檛 really think he鈥檇 be interested in me though.
When he had leave he would come back to his village and then walk to my village to see me, which involved negotiating windy mountain roads.
On one occasion he left my village late (around 11pm) and to help light his way home he made a makeshift torch out of twigs. Suddenly he heard several bangs and saw a plane dropping capsules near the village. He dragged this back with him to find it full of arms. Others that were dropped contained food and other useful supplies so Luigi was teased over picking up the wrong one.
We continued to write to each other and after the Italians split with the Germans the Kings Army were not sure of what to do and many decided to make their way back home. Luigi walked all the way from Genoa to the village and arrived looking a real mess - very dirty and thin from lack of food. He was promptly put into a barrel and washed down.
A few weeks later the Germans came back to the villages looking for any young men and made him a Prisoner of War. They made them help in the restoration of some fortresses that had been damaged and neglected since WW1, which they saw as good vantage points.
At long last the Germans left and the Allies liberated Italy. Luigi was able to return home and we were able to get married. Unfortunately we couldn鈥檛 get anything in white so I was married in blue. We also had to trade goods like flour so we, or particularly Luigi had some decent wedding shoes.
This was 1945 and our move back to the UK and Newham is another story.

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