Brother's death pained him...

Adolfo Felloni was born on the 20th March 1909 in Barodimetti (Parma) Italy. At the time of his arrest on the 17th June 1940, he was working as a terrazzo layer in Glasgow.  He lived in Glasgow with his father Giuseppe and his brother Guilio, all working in the marble and terrazzo industry.  His mother Rosa was living in Italy, one brother who lived in Dublin, Ireland was in the British Army and two brothers lived in England. 

His brother Guilio was interned with him, both surviving the tragedy of the Arandora Star, the Dunera voyage and internment at Tatura Camps and Loveday Camps. Guilio died on the 8th June 1944 at the Waranga Hospital, Victoria, Australia.

Giovanni Massella, a relative, explained a little about his uncle Adolfo Felloni and his rescue: I remember him speaking broken English with a Scottish accent and his speech was stiff.  It was only after he died that I learned that this was because in jumping off the ship, he hit his head on a lifeboat falling into the water unconscious with a broken jaw.  The occupants of the lifeboat dragged him onboard, saving his life. Throughout his life, he carried the pain of Guilio’s death and his experiences on the Arandora Star and Dunera. The Australians treated them humanely unlike the British on the Dunera.

Adolfo had arrived in the UK at the age of seven and was educated at St John’s Glasgow.  He was employed with the firm Toffolo and Jackson (7 years) and John Newton and Son (3 years), Glasgow terrazzo businesses.

In Australia, he was a constant worker as a carpenter, painter and general maintenance work. His application to return to the UK to appear before the Italian Advisory Committee was approved on the 13th February 1942 and on the 2nd December 1942 the approval was cancelled.  Adolfo made an application to appeal this cancellation on the 15th October 1943.

On the 16th May 1944, Adolfo was ‘released on parole’ for work with the Civil Aliens Corps in forestry. He was discharged from service on the 23rd May 1945 and was considered an excellent worker with a clean record.

On the 21st  August 1945, Adolfo with nine other UK Italian internees arrived in Liverpool, England on the Nieuw Amsterdam as a ‘released internee’. His address for the ship’s register was 15 Hill Street, Glasgow, Scotland.

Adolfo settled in Belfast, Ireland and continued to work in the terrazzo industry.  He died in Belfast in 1986.