Festa di Pasqua 1941

Luigi Fulgoni was a café proprietor who was arrested on the 11th June 1940. At the time, he was living at 1-2 Victoria Buildings, Abercarn, Monmouthshire, Wales with his wife Maria.

The Easter Prayer Card Luigi took home with him highlights the importance of religion to the men. Giorgio Scola in his memoirs mentioned the saying of the rosary after 9.30pm on the Dunera and also that the rosary was an almost nightly feature in Tatura. Reinforcing the importance of religion was the chapel established and beautifully decorated in Tatura Camp 2B which was remembered as La Nostra Chiesa di Tatura.

One of the roles of the Australian Apostolic Delegate Giovanni Panico was to visit prisoner of war and internment camps in Australia. With Catholic internees across Tatura Camps it is likely that Dr Panico arranged for the printing of the Tatura Easter Card.

Pasqua 1941 (courtesy of Sandra Sidoli)

With a classification of 'infirm' meaning that he was not fit for manual work in forestry with the Civil Aliens Corps, Luigi together with Carlo Barsotti were released for employment at the Menzies Hotel, Melbourne on the 5th September 1944.

In early February 1945, Luigi as part of a group of 63 ‘released’ Italian UK internees boarded the SS Athlone Castle for Liverpool.  The ship’s route went from Sydney via Wellington, New Zealand, the Panama Canal, New York USA and Ponta Delgado Azores.

Luigi arrived in Liverpool, England on the 29th March 1945.  His listed address on the ship’s register was 6 Aukland Place, Blackwood, Wales.

Luigi died in his home town of Bardi, Italy on 4 October 1976.

Tatura, Australia. January 1943. Group of Italian internees from overseas now interned at Tatura Internment Camp. Back row, left to right: V. Corinti; Gio. Moruzzi; M. Gazzi. B. Rabaiotti; Gio. Lusardi; G. Barovero. Front row: L. Fulgoni; G. Rossi; P. Barbuti; M. Rabaiotti. (AWM Image 030188/08 Photographer Colin Halmarick)