A Mother's Love
- Joanne Tapiolas
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
A special thank you to Julian Scola, Giorgio’s son for sharing items, photos and a letter relevant to his father’s time as an internee.
Mrs Scola’s letters are insightful, informative and heartfelt.
Australia
Mrs Scola’s words to her son:
23 July 1940
My dear son,
At last I am informed that you have been sent to Australia.
…Keep well, strong and smile, my darling, life is up and down and therefore good time will come again…
(from the Scola Family Collection)
It is uncanny that Giorgio wrote the following in his diary on the 23 July 1940 and concluded that Australia was his destination:
On exercise I am amazed to see a news bulletin from Cape Verde pinned up on the soldiers' deck and this, together with the rumours that we expect to be calling at Freetown tomorrow, make me accept the Australia suggestion.
Many ridicule this idea, but the fact that the sun is almost overhead at midday is conclusive enough.
(from 12,000 miles behind barbed wire – The internment of Giorgio Enrico Scola edited by Julian Scola)
Mrs Scola continued her letter with news of Giorgio’s two brothers, she asked if he had received the pullovers and socks she sent to Arrowe Park and she expressed her concern for getting mail to him at the correct address.
There is a pencil notation on the letter, possibly from Giorgio as the date he received his mother’s letter: 15/10/40. Almost three months….
The delay in receiving letters from Giorgio is mentioned in her second letter.
Long Delays with mail
Mrs Scola wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper News Chronicle in response to a letter published regarding the plight of internees from Great Britain in Australia.
Her concerns were the time it takes for a letter to reach her, her worry for her son and why Giorgio hadn’t been able to answer her ‘wire’ sent with a prepaid reply.
February 1941
296 Henley Road Reading. 13th Feb. 1941. Dear Madam, Excuse the liberty in writing to you but I have read your letter to the New (sic News) Chronicle. I am a mother of an Internee son in Australia. He’s been saved from the Arandora Star disaster and send almost immediately to Australia. He must have had a really hard life and now I see from your letter that Internee are so unhappy. I got my son first letter on the 16th Dec. can you imagine my anxiety, since then I had a letter on the 2 Jan and nothing more.
How it is that the Internee you mention has send you a letter dated 1 Jan and you have it rather soon, as they take 2 or 2 ½ months to come. My son’s letter was dated 4 Nov. it is no possible that after this date he has not write again, like your friend.
My son was studying Architecture and in November he would have taken his diploma. In his letter he told me that he made a friend there and his descriptions are like the one you mention in your letter. The reason I write is because I shall be very grateful if you would let me know something more regard the Australia Internee and if you know the reason why I do not hear from my son; have same be moved from the camp. If he is in Hospital do you think they will let me know? Thanking you very much.
Yrs. faithfully
(Mrs.) M Scola.
Please excuse me but I am sure you understand my anxiety. In Sept I send him a wire with prepaid reply they have not allowed but do you think is now to reply it allow, if so I will send another.
(Letter reproduced from:
Rosenbluth, Eli (1919-1945) MLMSS 11735
Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/n7orp4gn)
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