A quiet intellectual type

Ermenegildo Guido was born in Pontestura (Alessandria) Italy on the 10th  January 1895.  He was working as an assistant manager at Claridges Restaurant, London, England when he was arrested on the 11th June 1940.  His wife Rosina and two daughters were living in Pontestura, Italy at the time.

Arriving in England in 1920, Ermenegildo stated that he had never joined the Fascist Party but he was a member of the Italian Returned Soldiers League. He was considered by Tatura Camp authorities to be a ‘true Italian’ and a quiet, intellectual type. During his time in Australia, he worked in the compound canteen and the camp garden project.  His friends were from London: Arturo Nazzari (head waiter), Guido Galbiati (head waiter), Louis Vergano (maître chef) and Ugolino Giovine (chef).

From as early as 23rd September 1940, Ermenegildo was writing letters to England and USA to obtain details to help him make contact with Australian patrons of Claridges whom he knew. And also through his wife, he obtained contacts for families from his home town Pontestura, who were resident in Australia. For example, Mr TE Morgan of Melbourne wrote to Ermenegildo saying that the Hon. Mrs Gamage of London, a guest at Claridges, asked him to provide Ermenegildo with a parcel of comforts. Ermenegildo wrote to Armando Cattaneo’s wife in Sydney, he had met Armando in Loveday Camp 9. 

He wrote to the family of G Riviera in Jarvisfield, Ayr, Mr Riviera was interned in Cowra Camp 12. Other families from Pontestura he wrote to were F Botto, Herbert River, Ingham; Camillo Cattaneo, Ingham; A Balanzino Upper Stone, Ingham and E Colombano, Bermside, Ingham. What is clear was that Ermenegildo tried to reconnect with his pre-internment world and used work and hometown connections to do this.

Of one friend in London, he asked that efforts be made to locate his documents: bank, insurance, storage receipts for stored personal possessions and send them to his wife.

On the 1st June 1944, Ermenegildo was released to Melbourne for employment at Menzies Hotel, Melbourne’s finest restaurant. The General Manager of Menzies Hotel had applied for the services of qualified internee cooks as he had tried to find Australian cooks without success. Ermenegildo was joined by Cavaliere Bartolomeo Calderoni maître chef of Quaglino’s London and Ugolino Giovine chef of St Ermin's London.

Ermenegildo was with another eleven UK Italian internees when the ship the Athlone Castle docked at Southampton, England on 28th February 1946. The ship’s register noted his address as 48 New Compton Street, London, the same address that was used for Ugolino Giovine.  He died in 1986 in Italy.