'Arandora Star' and 'Ettrick'

Carlo Martinez was born in Napoli, Italy on the 7th December 1912. An electrical engineer, Carlo was arrested in the Southampton Police District on the 10th June 1940, together with his father Giuseppe. His younger brother Giorgio was also arrested and interned and his other brother remained in Italy.

Together with his father Giuseppe, Carlo boarded the Arandora Star on the 30th June 1940 for passage to Canada while his brother Giorgo boarded the Ettrick on the 3rd July 1940 also destined for Canada.  Carlo and Giuseppe were survivors of the sinking of the Arandora Star and arrived in Australia onboard the Dunera on the 3rd September, 1940.  Giorgio was granted release under ‘Special Case’ on the 24th August 1943, whereas Carlo and his father despite numerous applications for release under relevant categories of the White Paper where denied release to the UK.

Carlo had arrived in Southampton with his family in July 1920. He attended Husterliegh School Southampton, before attending the Jesuit Boarding School Collegio Pontano alla Conocchia, Naples for eight years. After matriculation, Carlo went to Pembroke College, Cambridge where he graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering in 1934. He then began work for Pirelli General Cable Works, Southampton until 1937 when he went to Italy for training at the Pirelli laboratories.

In August 1939, his father bankrolled an engineering works, Eastleigh Engineering Co. Ltd. Carlo and his two brothers were appointed managing directors with the company fulfilling contracts for the Ministry of Supply. The company after Carlo’s internment was taken over by Trafalgar Engineering of London as controllers on behalf of the Ministry of Supply which then produced munitions.

Carlo kept company mainly with his father Giuseppe and they played tennis and golf together. While Carlo was a member of the Fascist Party, he claimed that his membership to the Fascist Youth Association required at his Italian high school, was automatically transferred to England. When Tatura Camp 2A was divided, Carlo installed the electrical wiring in the new compound.

Declared ‘infirm’ on the 11th September 1944 and therefore unfit for work with the Civil Aliens Corps, Carlo was released to Melbourne on the 26th September 1944 with the possibility of work with Dunlop Rubber Australia.

Carlo and his father Giuseppe arrived in Liverpool, England onboard the SS Athlone Castle on the 29th March 1945 as ‘released internees’. Carlo married Bernice Barber in 1949. He died in Saanen, Bern, Switzerland in March 2001.

(NAA:A2908, P22 Part 5)