POW #: P271
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: November 14, 1940
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Toronto
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Retired Post Office Employee

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon undertaking Regulation 24 (Defence of Canada Regulations)

Francesco Napolitano was married to Maria, and the couple lived at 259 Bellwoods Ave. in Toronto. Napolitano had worked for the post office for 30 years before retiring. The Napolitanos lived on the pension. They owned properties at 160 and 164 Claremont St. and at 119 Augusta Ave. During her husband’s internment, Maria received the pension cheques in her name.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces: RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 643, Internee File 2885, “Francesco Napolitano.”

POW #: P203
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: March 08, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: October 15, 1904
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Cape Breton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Business man, Owner and operator of Sydney Shoe Repair

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to RCMP

Dominic Nardocchio was born in Miranda, Campobasso, Italy on October 15, 1904 to Egidio and Carlina (née Narducci) Nardocchio. In 1916, Dominic, his younger brother, John, and their mother moved to Sydney, Nova Scotia to escape war and to join their father. 

Nardocchio attended Holy Redeemer, a convent school, where he learned English. After school, he would visit an Italian shoemaker who worked on nearby Tupper St. However, Nardocchio’s fascination with shoemaking started even earlier, “…when I was in Italy, the village shoemaker was close to our house. And I used to go there when I was a child. And I used to see this take the measurement of a foot, make a pattern on a piece of paper, and cut the uppers. And then sew them by hand.”

Nardocchio quit school by the time he was 15 years old and he worked as a shoemaker for a few years. During this time, he was also studying music and he met Emilio Pace. Together, they travelled as a vaudeville act called the “Harmony Duo” all over Atlantic Canada and even making it to Montreal, Quebec. When the “talkies” took over, Nardocchio lost his job. Immediately after he tried his luck in Montreal in December of 1928, where a friend advised him of work in a shoe factory; however, work was sparse so Nardocchio moved back to Sydney.

Three months later, Nardocchio bought the shoemaker shop on Charlotte St. from a fellow named Ernest Ceccheto. Nardocchio renamed the store the Sydney Shoe Repair. Around the same time Nardocchio married Canadian-born Italian Canadian, Annie Viva. Even though it was the Depression, Nardocchio made a fair living because at the time hardly anyone had cars and most people still walked everywhere. Therefore, he was able to afford rent of a two-storey house on the corner of Falmouth and Bentinck where he lived with his wife and two young kids: Dominic (Buddy) Jr. and Eleanor.  Meanwhile, the downstairs floor of the house was occupied by Nardocchio’s father and brother. 

In 1936, while expecting their third child, Nardocchio bought a bigger house ― the locally-famed Moxham house on King’s Rd. The house was built around 1900 for Thomas Moxham by his father, Arthur Moxham (then appointed general manager of the Dominion Iron and Steel Company). Arthur’s own residence, the more famous residence, Moxham Castle, was located nearby.

By 1940, Nardocchio’s store was a successful operation with five repairmen working under him. According to Buddy, his father had a contract with the federal government to repair military shoes from bases in and around the Sydney area. He recalls:

It would be nothing to see an army truck pull up to the store bringing three bags, like potato bags, full of shoes to be repaired. And so he was kind of building up to keep ahead of things and he had two rooms upstairs over the store, packed, jam-packed, with leather, shoe findings, shoes, everything. As a matter of fact in 1938, no 1939, before he was interned in ’40, he had over ten thousand dollars worth of shoe findings and everything paid for.

Nardocchio was well-known among the Italian Canadian Cape Breton community not only because of his store, but because he was a leader. He admits to being a head of an Italian club and a committee but that they were “non-political.” Nardocchio wanted a school established at the club so the Italian government sent him a teacher to teach Italian. When war broke out, there was criticism that the teacher was teaching the kids fascism. Nardocchio urged the critics to attend the classes themselves to see that it was only an Italian language class. He said at a later interview, “Naturally, I was most in the limelight when the war broke out, so…I knew before the war that I was going to be interned.” 

On June 10, 1940, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) showed up at the Sydney Shoe Repair with an order from Ottawa to arrest Dominic. Buddy recalls this day:

In 1940, my father was interned after the war started and then my life changed quite a bit. I was the oldest in the family of eight children… As I look back and think of June the 10th, 1940, I happened to be in the store waiting to see what time he would be going home. And there were two RCMP officers [that] walked in at about four o’clock … I had heard that this was done at the same time across Canada; four o’clock here, three o’clock there, ten o’clock there, and so on. So, they went in the back shop. My father was there and he was working on shoes. And the next thing I saw he came out…and I didn’t’ see him from that time on until March of 1942.

Nardocchio was allowed to go home and retrieve his belongings before spending the night in Sydney Jail with others also arrested from around the area; for example, his son, Buddy, mentions Michael La Penna, indicating that his father knew him prior to the arrests. In another of Nardocchio’s stories regarding that night at the jail, he often talked about Siro Moro, who ordered the guard to get rid of several rowdy prisoners who were harassing the Italian Canadian men. Nardocchio describes this night in detail in his own interviews. He also recalls how during a pit stop in Antigonish (on their way to Truro) they were paraded in the street by RCMP officers as if they were criminals. The men finally reached Truro, four hours away from Sydney, where they boarded the train to Petawawa.

In Petawawa, Nardocchio worked as an interpreter for the first eight months in what he called the “inquiry” where investigations took place to find out each internee’s connection to Mussolini and the fascist party. Nardocchio said, “There was an 18 page inquiry for each prisoner to fill in. We used to do two a day. Sometimes, three.” After eight months, the RCMP officer told Nardocchio that he believed that he was innocent; however, Nardocchio stayed on for another 13 months. While he was interned, Nardocchio had two family members serving in the Canadian forces.

Afterwards, Nardocchio was transferred into a new role. According to Buddy, his dad was paid 10 cents/day (Nardocchio says in his own interview that it was 20 cents/day but 10 cents on Saturdays) as the camp’s shoemaker, doing the repair work for his fellow internees and the guards. Contrary to the rest, Nardocchio was one internee who talked a lot about his time in the camp. According to his family, he spoke a lot about his experience at Petawawa, stating that he was well fed. He also told his family of the friendly camaraderie between the German internees, the Italian internees, and even the military staff. Buddy says: “Like they used to come in and they’d have lunch with them! They’d cook the Italian meals and everything for them. They did alright…I mean, being in a concentration [internment] camp in Canada wasn’t like the other parts of the world you heard about with the concentration [internment] camps.” Nardocchio wrote home to his family and he even carved several items for them: a wooden tray and a jewellery box for his wife and an item for each of his children.

In Nardocchio’s absence, his brother took over the store. Buddy states that soon after his father’s arrest, the contract with the federal government was cancelled and the large inventory in his father’s store went missing. With the family head gone and the business low, the family suffered considerably.  “No money coming in, no shoes ― nothing. And we were on welfare. You know, I can remember as a youngster, going to the grocery store, getting the grocery order. And I remember going to the Red Cross and getting extra quarter milk and it wasn’t easy,” Buddy recalls. Annie was left to take care of eight children with her youngest child being only three months old. They were able to get along with the help of Annie’s parents and family.

In March of 1942, Annie received information that her husband was going to be released; she met him in Truro where he arrived with others also released during that time. Buddy says that his father was never formally charged, nor was the family ever given an explanation for why he was taken away. He further states that “In his [father’s] case and in some other cases, it was people that were kind of jealous of him and they made remarks to people. And that’s how that happened.” Nardocchio himself said that a sergeant at the camp once told him that his informers were men who were “professionals.”

When he returned home from camp, he was ordered to report monthly to the RCMP. Buddy says that his father was bitter for quite some time, but that he was lucky to have friends and customers who supported him even after the internment period.

Nardocchio was a hard working man. He said, “I never took a vacation in 50 years. Never took a vacation. I’ve never closed my shop. I was in the shop all the time. The only time I took a vacation was when they took me away. I had a pretty good rest there for 21 months. Anyway, I used to enjoy that. I used to laugh over it…” Nardocchio finally retired in 1986. His store was open for 57 years.

Biography by Louanne Aspillaga

SOURCES:

• Caplan, Ronald. “A talk with Dominic Nardocchio.” Cape Breton’s Magazine. Issue #53, 1990. http://capebretonsmagazine.com/modules/publisher/item.php?itemid=3421.
• Interview with Dominic (Buddy) Nardocchio Jr., son of Dominic Nardocchio. June 21, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Gillis, Rannie. “The tragedy behind Moxham Castle.” Cape Breton Post. June 4, 2007. http://www.capebretonpost.com/Opinion/Columns/2007-06-04/article-780760/The-tragedy-behind-Moxham-Castle/1.
• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Minister’s Orders List V1 & V5.

POW #: P559
ARRESTED: July 04, 1940
RELEASED: July 13, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN: June 08, 1888
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Vice-president, Saxonia Fruit Preserving Company

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Silvio Narizzano was born in London, England. As a result, he was a British subject.

Narizzano was married and had five children: Albert Dante (b. September 10, 1922), Silvio Casimiro (b. February 8, 1924), Yola Antoinette (b. June 16, 1926), Dino (b. March 5, 1932) and Dolcizia (b. March 26, 1936). The Narizzanos lived at 156 Brock Ave. North in Montreal.

As vice-president of the Saxonia Fruit Preserving Company, Narizzano had an annual salary of $20,500. His brother Mario was president of the company, E. Percy Roberts was the sales manager and director, and Luciano Salvadori was the accountant and purchasing agent. Salvadori was also interned during World War II.

Narizzano was president of the St. Joseph Italian Orphanage in Montreal. In the 1930s, he was also Great Venerable of Montreal’s Great Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy. On August 11, 1937, Narizzano was elected president of the Casa d’Italia board of directors. He also acted as the vice-president of the Montreal dopolavoro. 

When Narizzano was arrested in July 1940, he was taken to the Bourdeaux Jail before being sent to the Petawawa Internment Camp. While interned, his wife received $150 per month from his Saxonia salary to cover living expenses. 

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, CSIS: RG 146, Vol. 97, File AH-1999/00227, RCMP, “The Organization and Activities of the Italian Fascist Party in Canada,” Ottawa, 1937.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 648, Internee File 3246, “Silvio Narizzano.”
• Salvatore, Filippo. Fascism and the Italians of Montreal: An Oral History, 1922-1945. Toronto: Guernica, 1998.

POW #: P590
ARRESTED: July 04, 1940
RELEASED: September 21, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Separated
OCCUPATION: Retired Montreal Police Detective

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Prior to his internment, Gennaro Nassa lived with his parents at 6556 Clarke St. in Montreal.

Nassa’s release conditions were as follows: he had to report to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) once a month, could not change his place of residence or leave Montreal without the consent of RCMP, and was forbidden to be involved in fascist activities or organizations.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 664, Internee File 4664, “Gennaro Nassa.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, File C-11-19-2-3, Part 6, Letter from Louis St. Laurent, Minister of Justice, to S.T. Wood, RCMP Commissioner, Sept. 15, 1942.

POW #:
ARRESTED:
RELEASED:
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S):
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION:

No biography available for this internee.

POW #: P307
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: September 25, 1945
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Niagara Region
MARITAL STATUS: Widowed
OCCUPATION: Owner/operator, grocery store and steamship agency

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon agreement to Special Undertaking

Antonio Nero was a widower with three adult sons: Filbert (36), Anthony (33), and Amore (30). At the time of his arrest, Nero operated a grocery store and steamship agency. He also had interests in several properties and managed real estate for others – he is noted as the executer of the Fred Guido Estate. He was also a representative of Cosgrave Dominion Brewery Ltd.

Nero was arrested on June 10, 1940 by Corporal Bella of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (from the RCMP detachment at Niagara Falls). It is not known if Bella was also of Italian descent.

Nero’s name appears on the RCMP’s list of “Important Members of the fascio who are naturalized and whose internment is recommended”. He seems to have had some business in Italy. While interned, he wrote a letter to Credito Italiano’s office in New York about sending money directly to Italy; the office replied on August 8, 1940 that it was not possible given the state of war between Canada and Italy.

Although the Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) noted assets totaling $34,000, Nero also had liabilities amounting to about $23,000. As a result, his CEP file is extensive. His eldest son Filbert (Bert) was allowed the day to day management of his father’s business affairs, with CEP oversight.

In camp, Nero wrote to his son Bert and brother Domenic. His letters focus on his many business transactions, but there are the odd personal references. In a letter to his son, he writes: “I am quite well and I do not want anyone to visit me here, however, if you feel so included [sic] you can send me a parcel with food” (Translated letter, July 5, 1940. RG117 Vol 650 File 3348, LAC). In a latter letter, he notes: “As regards Vincenzo’s enquiry as far as my clothing is concerned, I can wear over here only the clothing authorized by the Authorities. To wear one’s own clothing in Camp is prohibited” (Translated letter, November 4, 1940. RG117 Vol 650 File 3348, LAC).

Throughout his internment, his family seems to have been working towards his release. He was among the last of the Italian Canadians released, having been earlier transferred from Petawawa Internment Camp to Fredericton Internment Camp.

Upon arriving home, Nero seems to have become ill and required an operation. Given his health and the state of his business, he objected to the administration fees totaling $353.60 charged by the CEP for the management of his affairs. The Hon. Humphrey Mitchell, Minister of Labour, representing Welland contacted the Department of the Secretary of State and the CEP on October 15, 1944 on behalf of Nero requesting the reasons for the charges. In response, staff reviewed Nero’s file and noted:

…the Custodian as such is not charging a fee but is only seeking recoupment of disbursements which he had to make to agents to look after the property…should stress the very involved nature of Nero’s affairs and at the time of his internment and should emphasize also that while the property was under the control of our agents very substantial progress was made in clearing up Nero’s affairs. (Signature unclear. Deputy Custodian. Letter to A.H. Mathieu. October 26, 1944. RG117 Vol 650 File 3348, LAC)

It is not known whether Nero paid the fees in full.

Other biographical information is lacking.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
Was Nero an active fascist – how so?
Why was Nero held so long?
What happened to Nero after the war?
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG117, Vol 650, File 3348.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.

POW #: P456
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: August 15, 1941
NATURALIZED: December 04, 1932
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION:

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Very little information exists on Canio Nicolini; however, there is an indication that he may have been a victim of informers.  In Gennaro Placido’s government file, RCMP Segeant John Leopold writes: “According to Mr. Spada there is a rumour circulating in Montreal that the above names Italians [Canio Nicolini, Gennaro Placido, Costanzo D’Amico] were interned on the recommendation of the Rev. Bersani because they opposed him many times in matters concerning the church.  They are said to have been members of the church council.”

Nicolini’s conditional release stipulated that he report monthly to the Montreal Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and “that he should not be employed in or about or in connection with the harbour or harbour facilities in the City of Montreal; or in any form of public service or war contract or in any public utility.”

Biography by Travis Tomchuk and Louanne Aspillaga
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, File C-11-19-2-3, Part 4, Letter from W. Stuart Edwards, Deputy Minister of Justice, to S.T. Wood, RCMP Commissioner, Aug. 8, 1941.
• Library and Archives Canada, JD Hyndman Fonds: MG30, E182, Vol. 14.

POW #: P560
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: February 11, 1943
NATURALIZED:
BORN: 1894
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Owner/Operator, Nieri et Fils (plaster and marble)

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Arcangelo Nieri came to Canada in 1919, after having married Adele. She joined her husband in Canada six months later. At the time of his internment, in 1940, Nieri and his wife lived at 6808 Louis-Hémon St. in Montreal. Nieri’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, was in the Canadian army. The younger son lived at home.

Nieri joined the Fascio Giovanni Luparini in 1937 and attended meetings until November 11, 1939. He was the fiduciary of the Montcalm branch of this organization. During the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Nieri did not donate gold to the Italian Red Cross but his wife did. However, during an interview with J.D. Hyndman, a judge appointed to review the cases of internees, Adele stated that she had not donated gold to Italy but that her sister had. Adele attended social and charitable events held at the Casa d’Italia.

Marcel Nieri was a private in the Canadian Army. In September 1941, he was stationed at Training Camp No. 45 at Sorel, Quebec. He was given leave to return to Montreal each weekend to look after his father’s business – Nieri et Fils, located at 415 Notre Dame St. East – and the needs of his mother and brother. Unfortunately, the business suffered under Marcel’s direction. After Nieri’s release from the Fredericton Internment Camp, the business went bankrupt.

Nieri’s release conditions were as follows: he had to report to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) once a month, could not change his place of residence or leave Montreal without the consent of RCMP, and was forbidden to be involved in fascist activities or organizations.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 662, Internee File 4454, “Arcangelo Nieri.”
• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds: MG 30, E 182, Vol. 14, Letter to Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, June 24, 1941.

POW #: P688
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: October 22, 1940
NATURALIZED: 1923
BORN: September 29, 1885
DIED: March 01, 1973

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Artist (painting, sculptures, frescoes, stained glass)

Watch George Nincheri’s Interview

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Guido Michele Nincheri was nine years old when a teacher discovered his artistic talent. However, Nincheri’s father – a wealthy textile broker – did not support his son’s interest in art. In fact, the father refused to pay the son’s tuition fees at an art school. Luckily, Nincheri was able to obtain scholarships. He was 18 years old when he left home to study classical design and architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. He stayed at the institution for twelve years.

Nincheri was married to Giulia Bandinelli. In 1914, the couple was travelling to Argentina for their honeymoon. They had planned to settle in Argentina. The Nincheris were in Boston when World War I began. Due to safety concerns, they could not complete their journey to Argentina or return to Italy. An acquaintance in Boston suggested that they travel to Montreal.

Shortly after the couple arrived in Canada, Nincheri was hired by Henri Perdriau – Quebec’s most prominent church decorator. Nincheri’s work with Perdriau led to a new focus in his career. He began designing stained glass windows and frescoes in churches throughout southern Quebec, Ontario and the northeastern United States. In 1933, Pope Pius XI called Nincheri the church’s greatest artist of religious themes.

Nincheri’s studio was located at 1832 Pie IX Blvd. Guido and Giulia Nincheri lived in Apartment 1 – 4058 Ontario St. East. They had two sons: Gabriel (b. 1915) and George (b. 1920).

Nincheri’s internment during World War II was linked to the fresco he painted for Montreal’s Madonna della Difesa Church in the 1930s. Nincheri was assisted by Guido Casini (also interned). The fresco celebrated the 1929 Lateran Treaty which made the Vatican a sovereign state and enshrined Catholicism as Italy’s state religion. It depicted fascist dictator Benito Mussolini sitting on a horse. Once Italy declared war on the Allies, Nincheri’s fresco became politically suspect. The fresco was covered with a tarp for the duration of the war.

Following Nincheri’s arrest, Giulia tried to convince Canadian authorities that the church’s curate, Father Manfriani, forced Nincheri to include Mussolini in the fresco. According to Giulia, Nincheri would have risked losing the contract If he had not complied. She even provided original sketches of the fresco that did not include the dictator. In a 1996 interview with Maclean’s Magazine, Nincheri’s son George stated, “My father was against totalitarianism. He always said religion was the only thing that helps a man walk on the straight [sic].”

After Nincheri was released from camp, he continued to work on religious art and created more than one hundred frescoes and stained glass during his career. In 1972, he was knighted by the Italian government. In 1992, the City of Montreal honoured Nincheri as a builder of the city. 

One of Nincheri’s employees, Vincenzo Poggi, was also interned.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Fisher, Luke. “Montrealer Guido Nincheri’s Stained Glass and Frescoes Adorn Dozens of Churches.” Maclean’s Magazine, Jan. 8, 1996: 68.
• Interview with George Nincheri. May 10, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Interview with Roger Boccini Nincheri. July 21, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 664, Internee File 4727, “Guido Nincheri.”
• Salvatore, Filippo. Fascism and the Italians of Montreal: An Oral History, 1922-1945. Toronto: Guernica, 1998.