Pietro Mariutto

Pietro Mariutto was born in Cavasso Nuovo (Pordenone) Italy on the 25th March 1898.  At the time of his arrest on the 11th June 1940, he lived with his wife Onorina (née Rett) and four daughters at 100 Whitfield Street, London and his occupation was listed as a mosaic tile and cement worker.

Onorina and Pietro had married in 1921 in London and in time welcomed four daughters to their family: Elsie, Laura, Gina and Lilia. Pietro worked for Diespeker & Co. as a mosaic worker and had the privilege to undertake repair work on a mosaic floor in Westminster Cathedral.

Pietro Mariutto and his family 1939 London

(AMMER ipac.regione.fvg.it)

During the war, his youngest daughter was evacuated to Preston. Due to the bombings their home in Whitfield Street was damaged and the family moved to Holloway Road.

Pietro was approved to return to England to appeal his internment but but wrote: I did NOT avail myself of this facility as I was much too scared to undertake a journey of such length in the conditions then existing, and being an extremely poor sailor, my suffering on board the SS Dunera was still vivid in my mind. (NAA: A367, C75221) It was noted that he was a quiet and industrious man who worked as the camp carpenter. He applied to Major Layton on the 25th August 1943 for release to work as a terrazzo worker with a company he was familiar with but on the 16th May 1944, he was ‘released on parole’ for work with the Civil Aliens Corps in forestry.

Pietro embarked the SS Athlone Castle in Sydney, New South Wales on the 6th February 1945. He disembarked in Liverpool, England on the 29th March 1945. The ship’s register noted his address as 38 Graham Street, City Road, London.