Mattiussi Ice Cream

Francesco Mattiussi was born on the 18th October 1897 in Talmassons (Udine) Italy.  At the time of his arrest on the 10th June 1940, he was living with his wife Mary Angelina (née Perselli), his son Joseph and daughter Hilda at 26 Lucy Street, Old Trafford, Manchester, England.  Francesco’s occupation was noted as shopkeeper and ice cream manufacturer.

In Tatura Camp, he associated with Arcangelo Andreucci also an ice cream manufacturer from Manchester and Ugo Baccanello, a freight broker from Manchester. Francesco was a constant worker in the cement work party.

While interned his wife managed his ice cream factory and business.  His daughter Hilda shared her family’s situation with John Clare who wrote:  The family business, which had some twenty ice-cream carts, was so adversely affected that a number of employees left due to their anti-Italian prejudices, and also in response to insults on the usual ice-cream rounds. In an attempt at de-Italianisation Hilda's mother painted signs on the side of her carts which proclaimed 'this business is owned by a British subject'. Hilda commented that although her father restarted the business after the war, it never recovered the position it held in 1940. (https://www.johndclare.net/wwii11_ManchesterItalians.htm)

Francesco was ‘released on parole’ on the 27th June 1944 for work with the Civil Aliens Corps in forestry.  He returned to England, disembarking the SS Athlone Castle on the 29th March 1945 at Liverpool as a ‘released internee’.

Frank Mattiussi serving his famous ice cream at Fords in Trafford Park in 1932

(This is old Trafford facebook group Photo from Bill Summers)

The London Gazette of 17th December 1948, advertised Francesco Mattiussi, Ice Cream Manufacturer of 26 Lucy Street Old Trafford, Manchester was awarded his Certificate of Naturalisation on the 1st November 1948.