Father and son

Giovanni Cua shared his internment journey with his son Nicola. In 1944, both had applied for work with the Civil Aliens Corps (CAC) in forestry but Giovanni was refused on account of his age: he was 59 years old. Nicola had his enrolment with the CAC deferred to take care of his father's release and finding him suitable employment and accommodation.

Nicola explained: The armistice did not make a difference immediately, we were released to work for the Allied Works Council in a forest chopping down trees. It depended upon your health, you had a medical check up and then I went to, I was supposed to be released, and I said, what about my father, and they said, he is not through yet. I said, I am not going out so I did a month, voluntary internment and when he got out I got him a job in an orphanage sleeping in, and cooking for the orphans who went out to work every day. My father would do breakfast and then at night dinner, so I got him started. (Cua, N. 1989)