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Italian prisoner of war grandfather

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  • Italian prisoner of war grandfather

    Hi.

    My grandfather was an Italian prisoner of war who worked on a farm in the Isle of Wight. We think it must have been in Carisbrooke because that's where my grandmother used to live and where my dad grew up. When the war ended, of course he went back to Italy. We only know his name, and we have a couple of letters from a town called Pontinia in Italy. Can anyone help me to try and start my search? I have no idea where to start or what to do, really. Thanks

  • #2
    Not my area of knowledge but these may help. Hope someone here can help you further.
    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and other situations of violence.

    Phil
    historyhouse.co.uk
    Essex - family and local history.

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    • #3
      Hi, Welcome to FTF.
      Have a look at this page on this site http://www.familytreeforum.com/content.php/453-Italy
      It's a help that at least you know the name of the town where your grandfather went back to, it's most likely where he came from so there may be some traces to follow.
      Margaret

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      • #4
        There's also some information here, in the National Archives Research Guide although it sounds as though any search would not be straightforward!

        The National Archives, Kew – Research Service Offered
        Contact me via PM on Family Tree Forum or via my personal website - www.militaryandfamilyresearch.co.uk

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        • #5
          Italian research is very difficult, unfortunately, unless you know exactly where the person came from.

          Did he marry your grandmother in the UK? If so, you should buy their marriage cert., which will give you his age and occupation, and his father's name and occupation.

          It would then be possible to contact the Pontinia town council to ask if they have any information about him, but unless he was born, married, officially resident or died there, they won't be able to help. And as there's no central BMD index in Italy, and virtually nothing online, there's no way of knowing where else to look.
          Last edited by Mary from Italy; 17-10-10, 17:24.

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          • #6
            Might be worth checking the phone book to see if there's anyone else with his surname still in Pontinia (put his surname in the first box and Pontinia in the second one):

            PagineBianche è l'elenco telefonico più fornito d'Italia. Trova persone, aziende e professionisti. Cerca numeri di telefono, indirizzi e altre informazioni.

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            • #7
              Hi Pianolouise
              Please check your private messages I have answered the one you sent me.
              As Mary said re the phone book there are only two Zucchini surnames listed.
              Emmy

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              • #8
                Hi,
                Have you applied to the Red Cross? The Red Cross kept information on prisoners of war - what camps they were held in and transfers to other camps (if any). My father (a New Zealander) was a prisoner of war, initially in Italy, and then in Germany, and they were able to provide information to us about where dad was held.

                regards,
                Lynda

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                • #9
                  My father in law was a prisoner of war and after he married he had to sign in at the local police station every last Friday of the month for many years....he had to sign to say he wasn`t a member of the Communist Party and wasn`t actively involved in any politics...but he WAS ON RECORD....so maybe the local police on the IOW may have him on record.....allan
                  Allan ......... researching oakes/anyon/standish/collins/hartley/barker/collins-cheshire
                  oakes/tipping/ellis/jones/schacht/...garston, liverpool
                  adams-shropshire/roberts-welshpool
                  merrick/lewis/stringham/nicolls-herefordshire
                  coxon/williamson/kay/weaver-glossop/stockport/walker-gorton

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by garstonite View Post
                    My father in law was a prisoner of war and after he married he had to sign in at the local police station every last Friday of the month for many years....he had to sign to say he wasn`t a member of the Communist Party and wasn`t actively involved in any politics...
                    Good heavens, really? I didn't think the Communist Party had ever been outlawed in the UK.

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                    • #11
                      EDIT - this information is incorrect but I will leave it here so as not to make the replies look strange! Sorry folks.

                      Mary

                      The Communist party was outlawed in England in 1938...and presumably for the duration of the war.

                      OC
                      Last edited by Olde Crone Holden; 22-10-10, 16:48.

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                      • #12
                        Strange, when they were our allies...

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                        • #13
                          The Communist Party was never outlawed in Great Britain.

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                          • #14
                            Wasn't it something to do with Stalin?

                            Maggie - no, I think you are right, the Communist party was not actually outlawed but the authorities were very edgy about it and Aliens had to swear they were not communists. The Russians were only our allies in the second half of the war, surely.

                            OC

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                            • #15
                              At that time most aliens would have to register and probably would be asked their political allegance as a formality if they came from behind what was the Iron Curtain after the war for all sorts of reasons.

                              No political party has ever been outlawed in Great Britain to it's credit you may be thinking of the USA who did outlaw many things to uphold their decency and the right to do anything or not as it happens especially the Communist Party not the Fascists though which is not surprising.

                              The only time in GB that it became a bit dodgy was in the 50s but only dodgy never illegal and never outlawed. We don't do that and hopefully never will.

                              Nothing to do with Stalin at all.
                              Last edited by Guest; 22-10-10, 17:02.

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                              • #16
                                Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                                Wasn't it something to do with Stalin?

                                Maggie - no, I think you are right, the Communist party was not actually outlawed but the authorities were very edgy about it and Aliens had to swear they were not communists. The Russians were only our allies in the second half of the war, surely.

                                OC
                                Well no we had a lot of allies the USA, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, Greece the list is endless...

                                The USSR were pussy cats it was Churchill who had the paranoia about them.

                                The USSR was a beast that most of the Western world tolerated it had nothing to do with communism per se it was a perceived threat to democracy that is all as it turned out they weren't any threat to us at all and while we were sleeping through the cold war other enemies that we actually armed are now a threat, a real threat. That's called sleeping on the job!
                                Last edited by Guest; 22-10-10, 17:10.

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                                • #17
                                  Maggie

                                  My late father always used to say "While they are busy looking for Reds under the beds, the other lot are creeping up behind them" and he was right.

                                  I meant it was something to do with Stalin in as much as the authorities were worried and touchy about Stalin. The Communist Party may not have actually been outlawed in this country, but any Alien who had admitted to being a communist during the war would have been very closely watched indeed and almost certainly interned, if not deported.

                                  OC

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                                  • #18
                                    Originally posted by maggie_4_7 View Post
                                    No political party has ever been outlawed in Great Britain to it's credit
                                    Not quite accurate.
                                    British Union of Facists. 10 July 1940.
                                    Order applying Regulation 18AA of the Defence Regulations.
                                    Made it an offence to summon a meeting of members of this organisation. Attend any meeting. Publish any advertisement or notice. Invite any person to join the organisation. Make contributions to the organisation.

                                    In 1941 consideration was being given to banning the The Communist Party, but it was decided that 'no action of a general character should be taken at present against the Communist Party'.
                                    Last edited by keldon; 22-10-10, 17:52.
                                    Phil
                                    historyhouse.co.uk
                                    Essex - family and local history.

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Keldon

                                      I think that is how I got confused - "no action of a general character", in other words, no outright ban, but lots of specific action against individual communists.

                                      OC

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                                      • #20
                                        Originally posted by keldon View Post
                                        Not quite accurate.
                                        British Union of Facists. 10 July 1940.
                                        Order applying Regulation 18AA of the Defence Regulations.
                                        Made it an offence to summon a meeting of members of this organisation. Attend any meeting. Publish any advertisement or notice. Invite any person to join the organisation. Make contributions to the organisation.

                                        In 1941 consideration was being given to banning the The Communist Party, but it was decided that 'no action of a general character should be taken at present against the Communist Party'.
                                        Oh yes but they weren't banned as a political party but as an organisation that supported the opposition in WWII by their actions and words which was against the defence of this nation - somewhat different to banning a 'political' party as such.

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