POW #: P663
ARRESTED: June 16, 1940
RELEASED: March 05, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: February 18, 1900
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Tailor, Firth Brothers Tailoring Company

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon undertaking Regulation 24 (4) (Defence of Canada Regulations) and reporting monthly

There is very little information known about Agostino Gaggiottini. At the time of his arrest, he had a wife and son living in Italy. Biographical information is lacking. 

The reasons for his arrest are not known. He was taken from his workplace: “I might also mention, my production slips were all turned in excepting Tuesday, July 16th upon which date I was apprehended and had no time to turn in my slip for that day” (Agostino Gaggiottini to Firth Brothers Tailoring Co., POW Mail, October 19, 1940.)

The Custodian of Enemy Property maintained a file on this individual.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 669, Internee File 5016, “Agostino Gaggiottini.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3568, File B.

POW #: P490
ARRESTED:
RELEASED: April 03, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: June 21, 1909
DIED: December 07, 2002

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Supervisor, Felt-making Operations, AngloItalian Felt Company Ltd., & Successor AngoItalian & Hubbard Ltd., a.k.a. Hubbard Felt Company

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

Regolo Gagliacco arrived in Canada on June 8, 1933. He had lived in England from May 1932 to May 1933. He came from an affluent family and, with some backing from his father, he ran a factory which manufactured felt hats. Gagliacco was successful. In 1935, he married Gina Theresa Teyssot, a woman of Italian and French Canadian ancestry. They did not have any children. By 1940, he had applied for citizenship (to become a naturalized British subject).

Gagliacco  was arrested at his factory and later interned. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) files, he was the director of the Terrace Vinet branch of the Montreal fascio. His wife did not learn of his whereabouts for six weeks.

The Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) seized Gagliacco’s assets and assumed that his wife was able to support herself. Mrs. Gagliacco spent $40 a month on goods for her husband in camp and $75 a month on rent and board to her parents. She objected to CEP’s decision: “Mrs. Gagliacco admits that her personal funds are not yet exhausted but she feels that she should not be expected to exhaust all her personal resources before making application to the Custodian for permission to draw against her husband’s bank accounts” (CEP: P.S. Ross & Sons to G.G. Beckett, December 9, 1940). She was granted a monthly allowance of $100 to $200.

While in camp, Gagliacco played in the band. He carved a nude wooden statue of his beloved wife. He befriended fellow internee Giuseppe (Joseph) Di Pietro. Not only would Gagliacco become the godfather to Di Pietro’s eldest son Nicholas, but Di Pietro also named his youngest son, Oliver Regolo Di Pietro, after his dear friend.

Among his favourite stories about his godfather, Nicholas Di Pietro (ND) and his wife Olga Biscotti Di Pietro (OB) recounted the first Petawawa Christmas in 1940. Gagliacco’s father-in-law was a chef at the Ritz Carlton. His daughter Gina wanted to arrange a meal for her husband in camp.

OB: Alright, so she says “How about we go feed them for Christmas?” So the father says “Well, we’re gonna bring one turkey? That’s not good enough, how many people are in there?” And he had, well what kind of car was that?
ND: Oh yeah, the big, I think it was a Packard. Yeah, back in those days.
OB: So he decides, I’m gonna make the Italian food, the pasta, and I’m gonna make the turkeys, whatever I can fit into the car, and we’re gonna take it to them… Anyway, you know all that food was checked, you know knives, I don’t know what you’d put in there … this was a good day for them … And uncle Regolo told the story with great –
ND: With great joy –
(Nicholas Di Pietro & Olga Biscotti Di Pietro, October 3, 2011).

After his release, Gagliacco continued to face challenges. He found employment as the production foreman of Beacon Products Inc. However, in considering doing business with the manufacturers of wool felts, the Bank of Nova Scotia wrote to the Custodian of Enemy Property: “We are anxious to ascertain that the above party is in good standing with the authorities” (CEP: October 5, 1942). 

Although the mark of internment remained, Gagliacco’s in-laws were able to support him through the difficult times. On October 13, 1946, Gagliacco accepted work as a technician and production manager for the Milford Wool Hat Body Corp. of Milford, Massachusetts. He received an immigration visa for permanent residence in the United States, under the Italian quota. His internment did not affect his application. It was not mentioned.

Due to his father’s illness, he left his position at Milford and returned to Italy in November 1947. He decided to return to Canada in January 1948, telling the American authorities that he did not wish to further disrupt the company’s operations as his father was still ill. Instead, he obtained a position with Transamerica Food Corp., a company he had previously worked for in Montreal. By the summer of 1950, his father had passed away, and Gagliacco had made a formal application to return to the United States and to his former position at Milford Wool Hat Body Corp. By a special act of Congress in 1950, the Gagliaccos were given permission to return to the United States.

According to the Di Pietros, Gagliacco eventually opened an importing and distribution company for Carrara marble. At one point, he also had the exclusive right to distribute San Pellegrino water in Canada. Because he believed no one in Canada would buy bottled water, he did not pursue it.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
Did Gagliacco return to the United States in 1950?

SOURCES:

• Interview with Nicholas Di Pietro & Olga Biscotti Di Pietro. October 3, 2011. ICEA2011.0033.0002, Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, CSIS: RG 146, Vol. 97, File AH-1999/00227.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 653, Internee File 3586, “Regolo Gagliacco.”
• “Regolo M. Gagliacco (1909-2002).” Ancient Faces. http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/person/4241203/regolo-m-gagliacco-profile-and-genealogy
• U.S. Senate reports. 81st Congress, 2d session. (January 3, 1950 – January 2, 1951.) Miscellaneous. Vol. 5. Report No. 2410.

POW #: P327
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: June 12, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN: 1878
DIED: December 31, 1945

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Sudbury
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Photographer

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional

Emilio Galardo was an accomplished, talented photographer and owner of Galardo Studio. He was trilingual – fluent in Italian, English and French. He was married to Rosina, and they had five Canadian-born children: Pasquale, Dominic, Beatrice and two other daughters. At the time of his arrest, 62-year-old Emilio was a citizen (a naturalized British subject).

On June 10, 1940, he was arrested at his studio on Elm St. in Sudbury, along with a friend and his 25-year-old son Pasquale. His granddaughter Gloria Miron noted: “They arrested them there. They brought them all to jail. And they kept my dad [Pasquale] and Oscar in jail for three days before they released them. But they kept my nonno” (Gloria Miron, May 25, 2011). The Chief of Police, who had been Galardo’s friend, was the arresting officer. Soon after his arrest, police arrived at the family home and searched Galardo’s belongings.

The family was told that Galardo’s detention was due to his membership in an Italian club. His name appeared on a spring 1940 government list of “Important members of the fascio who are naturalized and whose internment is recommended.” Galardo was also a gun collector and was accused of collecting the guns for use in the war. The guns were confiscated but never returned.

Galardo was taken to Camp Petawawa where he was interned. To support the family, Pasquale worked at the photography studio, and his mother rented out rooms in their home. The family was not notified of Galardo’s whereabouts:

They didn’t let the families know where they were. They had no idea where my nonno was. Then they found out he was in Petawawa… my father’s younger brother, Dominico, which they called Mimmo, [he] got married, then my mom and dad got married… My dad had the business. Mimmo was working for his future father-in-law in his garage… My mother then left her job, went into the studio to help my dad. And through all this, the Canadian government conscripted my uncle Mimmo and my dad to go—fight for Canada in the Armed Forces here. Mimmo was accepted. My father was not because of his one eye. So, they let him go, but they kept Mimmo and they put him into the Air Force as a mechanic, and he went to the east coast (Gloria Miron, May 25, 2011).

There are other similar cases of family members serving in the Canadian military at the same time fathers/uncles/brothers were interned as enemy aliens (see Libero Sauro, Giuseppe Paonessa, Pasquale Rapone).

When the family learned of his location, his wife, son Pasquale and daughter-in-law tried to visit him twice. On both occasions, they were turned away:

Then when they found out he was in Petawawa, my mother and father and my nonni made food and everything, and my mother said they drove all the way to Ottawa. They got past the first gate. They got past the second gate. And at the third gate, all the troops came at them with the guns and said to them, “Who are you? How did you get here? Who do you think you’re going to see?” And they told them, and they said, “No, no, no, no.” And sent them back and would not let them see my nonno (Gloria Miron, May 25, 2011).

The family noted that Galardo was well-respected in the community. The mayor, lawyers and others wrote to the government on Galardo’s behalf. His Custodian of Enemy Property file included a letter from Dr. J.R. Hurtubise, M.P. for Nipissing, who sought to assist the family with their financial situation.

Galardo was profoundly affected by his internment. He passed the time at Petawawa by playing the mandolin and guitar. He also wrote the following poem:

In un campo d’internamento
Vidi ricchi e poveri, mesti in boglia novella
Tutti pensosi che facevanno ammenda
Vidi gente d’ogni sorta, di differende favella
Li conobbi e tutti buona gente
Increduli della triste sorta
La domenica gennflessi ascoltani la divina parola di padre Maltempi
Colla sperranza in cor veder lor famiglia e consorte
Un piccolo gruppo de miei amici – d’altro sentire
L’uno a l’altro conforto lenire
Tutti maestri ed io professore
Vollero che in chiamassimo per onore.
Tristi ricordi de Petawawa
E.G. 1940

Translation: In a concentration camp, I saw rich and poor thrown together in a pit of hell. All worried and sad that they had to make amends. I saw people of all sorts – of different languages. I knew them, all good people, disbelieving their sad lot in life. On Sunday, kneeling, we listened to the divine word of Father Maltempi, with the hope in our hearts to see family and spouses once again. A small group of friends, learned, comforted each other. All teachers and I, a professor, wanted to be called for our honour. Sad memories of Petawawa. E.G. 1940

The reasons for his release are not known. Galardo’s daughter Beatrice was 18 years old  when her father returned home. She described Galardo as a different, quieter man. Gloria pointed out that her father, Pasquale, also noticed the change: “And he walked through the front door. But as my father said, he walked in a broken man” (Gloria Miron, May 25, 2011). Galardo did not speak of his experience with his family. He became somewhat reclusive, not wanting to leave his home. He did not return to work at his studio. Galardo died on New Year’s Eve, in 1945. He was 67 years of age.

After his passing, his family continued to be affected by Galardo’s internment. His granddaughter noted that her father, Pasquale, asked the family not to disclose Galardo’s internment when his work was featured at the Sudbury Centennial Celebrations in 1967. Pasquale and his wife did not teach their daughters Italian. Pasquale feared that they might inadvertently speak the language outside the home, with potential negative consequences. In reviewing her family’s World War II experience and the Canadian government’s actions, Gloria stated: “They broke a family, that’s what they did” (Gloria Miron, May 25, 2011).

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro
 

SOURCES:

• Interview with Beatrice Ladyk. May 25, 2011. ICEA2011.0033.0001, Columbus Centre Collection.
• Interview with Gloria Miron and Richard Ladyk. May 25, 2011. ICEA2011.0031.0001, Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 656, Internee File 3844, “Emilio Galardo.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.

POW #: P279
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: September 05, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: September 09, 1902
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Assistant Roller, Steel Company of Canada

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release

Rocco Galassi lived at 37 Ruth St. in Hamilton. He was involved in the Casa d’Italia. While Galassi was interned, he requested that his 1937 Chevrolet Coach be given to his landlord, Frank Viola, for safekeeping. Galassi moved in with his landlord at 12 Ruth St. after he was released from the Fredericton Internment Camp.

Galassi’s release conditions were as follows: he had to report to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) twice a month, could not change his place of residence or leave Hamilton 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. 655, Internee File 3826, “Rocco Galassi.”
• 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, Aug. 31, 1942.

POW #: P890
ARRESTED: September 19, 1940
RELEASED: February 27, 1941
NATURALIZED: 1913
BORN: 1889
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Owner, Shoeshine Parlour/Hat and Dye Shop

Erminio (Curly) Galasso arrived in Canada in 1902. He and his wife lived at 298 Catherine St. North in Hamilton. The couple had five children ranging in age from 15 to 28. Whether all of their children lived at this address is unknown. Galasso’s shoeshine parlour was located in the same building as The Hamilton Spectator. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) records also indicate that he operated a hat and dye shop at 26 Catherine St.

According to the RCMP, Galasso was a member of the fascio, the dopolavoro and the Casa d’Italia. He was suspected of having donated money to the Casa d’Italia and to the Italian Red Cross during Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia. In 1938, his son Arturo travelled to Italy with the Gioventù Italiana del Littorio all’Estero (GILE). Galasso was a founding member of the Royal Italian Marine Band. Alfonso Borsellino, the band leader, was also interned. Galasso was alleged to have said that “Mussolini could beat any country,” during the invasion of Ethiopia.   

During his interview with J.D. Hyndman, a judge appointed to review the cases against internees, Galasso admitted that he had been a member of the Order Sons of Italy since 1912 as well as the dopolavoro. Galasso joined the latter organization for business purposes and denied any involvement with the local fascio. He was active in the All Soul’s Church, the Holy Name Society, the St. Vincent De Paul Society and the Knights of Columbus.

Galasso had a reputation for being “a bit of a joker.” Hyndman wrote, “There is a suggestion that on a certain occasion he had made some complimentary remarks with regard to Mussolini. The objector explained that he was often the subject of jokes by his friends, and that anything he may have said with regard to Mussolini was in a joking way.” Following interviews with Galasso’s character witnesses, Hyndman reported the following:

All of these persons scoffed at the idea of Galasso being dangerous, and regarded such an allegation as nothing but a joke. Several other persons to whom I spoke were all of the same opinion, and I … learned that [Galasso] was one of the most popular men in the business section of Hamilton. These statements confirm the opinion which I formed of him at the hearing in Petawawa and, in my view, he is not in the least dangerous to the State and continued internment is merely perpetuating what I believe to be a rank injustice.     

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds: MG 30, E 182, Vol. 14, Letter from J.D. Hyndman to W.R. Jackett, Feb. 26, 1941.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, File C-11-19-2-3, Part 1, Memorandum from the RCMP to the Inter-Departmental Committee, Sep. 17, 1940.

POW #: P1139
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: September 17, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN: 1897
DIED: 1945

CAMP(S): Kananaskis
TOWN/CITY: Southern Alberta
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Miner, Brazeau Mine

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Giovanni (Johnny) Galdi was born in Aprigliano, a town near Cosenza in Calabria, Italy, in 1897. He arrived at Ellis Island in 1914. He was 17 then, and he travelled with his older brother Francesco (b. 1888). Francesco had returned to Italy to marry after having worked in the mines in Alberta. They travelled on the Princess Irene line. Francesco and Giovanni both worked in the mines at Nordegg, established by German entrepreneur Martin Nordegg around 1911. Other members of the Galdi family had also emigrated: Carmine Galdi (b. 1874) arrived at Ellis Island in 1900, Eugenio Galdi (b. 1888) arrived in 1901 and Antonio Galdi (b. 1899) arrived in 1921. 

According to family history – as related by Maria Muto, Antonio Galdi’s daughter – Giovanni Galdi got in trouble when he drank and talked about Mussolini at the local social club. Tony Mele, a friend of Galdi’s, stated that people would egg him on to talk about Mussolini when he was drunk. Mele noted that Galdi was a good friend – a good and gentle person. When asked whether Giovanni was an alcoholic, he noted that nobody could afford to drink too much because they only worked two or three days a week. Mele also stated that everyone in town knew that Giovanni had been arrested and believed that he had been treated unfairly. Mele said that there was no fascio in Nordegg, but people knew about Antonio Rebaudengo in Calgary.

Galdi was arrested on June 10, 1940, and sent to Camp Kananaskis. Communist internee Peter Krawchuk provided some information about the Italians in Camp Kananaskis:

A second group in the camp was comprised of Italians who had been interned in June 1940, after Benito Mussolini dragged Italy into the war on the side of Nazi Germany. The Italian group was made up of some 40 men, almost as many as us. Among them there were only a few ardent fascists (particularly from Vancouver) who belonged to an organization, subscribed to fascist newspapers and magazines, supported Mussolini and travelled to Italy in official delegations. The majority of them was made up of small-time upstarts, charlatans, gamblers, ruffians and the owners of cheap hotels. True, this was a receptive element for fascist propaganda. As far as I know, in the entire group there were only two workers — a miner from Coleman, Alberta, and a railway worker from Saskatchewan, Carlo Roggiani. It should be noted that Carlo Roggiani was a fervent antifascist and the entire time supported our group (Krawchuk).

Giovanni Galdi is the “miner from Coleman, Alberta” that Krawchuk refers to.

At the time of his release, Galdi was required to sign a document with the following conditions:

I, now, in consideration of my release or exemption from detention as a citizen of ITALY, hereby undertake and promise that I will report to such officer or official and upon such terms as the Canadian authorities may from time to time prescribe that I will carefully observe and obey the laws of Canada and such rules or regulations as may specially be prescribed for my conduct by competent authority; that I will strictly abstain from taking up arms against and from doing any act of hostility towards the Government of this country, and that, except with the permission of the officer or official under whose surveillance I may be placed, I will strictly abstain from communicating to anyone whomsoever any information concerning the existing war or the movement of troops or the military reparations which the authorities of Canada, or the United Kingdom or any of his Majesty’s dominions or any allied or associated Power may make, or concerning the resources of Canada, and that I will do no act and will not encourage the doing of any act which might be of injury to the Dominion of Canada or the United Kingdom or any of his Majesty’s dominions or any allied or associated Power

When Galdi was released from camp he suffered from gall bladder problems. He went back to work until he became too ill to do so. A local doctor said he had to go to Calgary for treatment. Galdi died while undergoing surgery at Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary. His brother Antonio returned his body to Nordegg for burial.

Biography by Adriana Davies and Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Government of Canada. Defence of Canada Regulations. Ottawa: J.O. Patenaude, 1939.
• Krawchuk, Peter. Interned Without Cause, Socialist History Project, http://www.socialisthistory.ca/Docs/CPC/WW2/IWC12.htm
• . Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 674, Internee File 5334, “Giovanni Galdi.”

POW #: P823
ARRESTED: July 29, 1940
RELEASED: June 06, 1942
NATURALIZED: 1927
BORN: January 29, 1900
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Moulder, Dominion Foundries and Steel

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to RCMP

Francesco Domenico Galoni came to Canada in 1916. He married Mary in 1930. Mary was born in Italy and arrived in Canada at three years of age. The couple had a daughter who contracted an illness around the age of nine. Galoni also had an 18-year-old stepson named James Fumio. Neither of the children could speak Italian. The Galonis attended Holy Family Church.

During an interview with J.D. Hyndman, a judge appointed to review the cases of internees, Galoni stated that he associated mostly with English-speakers. He had bought war savings bonds through Dominion Foundries and Steel. He admitted to membership in the local fascio, between 1929 and 1938, and the dopolavoro. He had also been involved in the Order Sons of Italy in 1929 and 1930. Galoni had donated a few dollars to the Hamilton Casa d’Italia. However, he told Hyndman that he had pictures of the English king and queen in his home and that he did not like Adolf Hitler or approve of the Rome-Berlin Axis.

While Galoni was interned, Mary worked part time at a hosiery mill in Hamilton. Galoni had an operation after his release, but the reason for this in not explained in his Custodian of Enemy Property file. At that time, the family lived at 762 Burlington St. East in Hamilton.  

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 676, Internee File 5481, “Francesco Domenico Galoni.”
• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds: MG 30, E 182, Vol. 14, Letter from J.D. Hyndman to Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, May 23, 1941.

POW #:
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: July 02, 1941
NATURALIZED: 1924
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Vice-President, Pastene Company (Imported and Domestic Food Products)

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Pietro Garbarino, his wife Anna, and their three daughters and son lived at 349 L’Épée Ave. in Montreal. Garbarino was elected to the Montreal Casa d’Italia board of directors on August 11, 1937. His position was Advisor. Others elected that day included Silvio Walter Narizzano (President), Marino Paparelli (Vice-President), Alberto Severo Biffi (Secretary), Enrico Pasquale (Treasurer) and Professor Giulio Romano (Advisor). All of these men were interned during World War II.

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. 649, Internee File 3318, “Pietro Garbarino.”

POW #: P703
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: February 06, 1943
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Toronto
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Fruit dealer & grocer

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon Special Undertaking and monthly reporting

Antonio Gatto was an active member of the Italian Canadian community in Toronto. At the time of his arrest, he was married with adult children. He had been the president of the Societa di Mutuo Soccorso la Trinacria di Toronto (La Trinacria), one of the oldest Italian organizations in Toronto. He also published the anti-fascist newspapers, Il Messaggero.

Presumably an anti-fascist, he came under some pressure to change his political views. First, his daughter Giuseppina married Tommaso Mari, editor of the fascist newspaper Il Bollettino italo-canadese and secretary to Vice-Consul Ambrosi. Also, the Italian Consulate undertook an active campaign to win the support of Italian clubs and associations in Toronto and bring them under fascist control. As the president of La Trinacria, Gatto was actively pursued — parties were even arranged in his honour. Gatto did eventually concede. He closed Il Messaggero and donated $200 to the building of the Casa d’Italia. He also served as the Vice-president of the dopolavoro.

Gatto’s name appeared on the list of “Important members of the fascio – Naturalized”, dating to Spring 1940 and compiled by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Arrested on June 10, 1940, his son-in-law would also be detained. However, Mari chose to be repatriated to Italy (along with his wife Giuseppina) instead of internment.

Gatto obtained legal representation for the review of his case. We know that McKeown & Carroll were hired in November 1941 and appeared on Gatto’s behalf at several hearings. Gatto was eventually ordered released on January 30, 1943 with the following conditions:

That he will not journey from Toronto without first reporting details of his proposed trip to your Force at Toronto, and if so required by your Force, he will report at his destination or destinations, to such police officer or officers as may be designated by your Force;

That he obey all laws and regulations, and do everything reasonably possible to assist in Canada’s war effort, and that he do or say nothing that might in any way detract from the war effort of Canada or its Allies, or that might in any way assist or encourage any enemy of Canada or its Allies;

That he have nothing to do with Fascism or any Fascist or other forbidden club or organization;

That he sign an undertaking to abide by all of the above conditions.

I further direct that Gatto be given a copy of these conditions.

While interned, his son Philip and daughter-in-law Grace took over his business under the oversight of the Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP). During this period, there was a dispute with the attached landowner regarding changes to the shared wall and passageway. It appears CEP did act to protect Gatto’s interests in this case. However, as with many other internees, Gatto felt the CEP did not have the right to charge him any administration fees:

May I state that I have been informed by the Department of Justice that my nationality did not become affected by reason of said internment. Consequently my estate remained legally vested in my name during that period. Further my estate was administered by my daughter-in-law, Grace Gatto for the entire duration of my detention. I find your account excessive. (A. Gatto to G.G. Beckett, March 21, 1943, RG117-A-3, Vol. 670, File no. 5039, LAC)

So far as the Custodian’s regulations are concerned, your nationality was and is immaterial since once you were interned your property became vested in him no matter what your nationality was. While your daughter-in-law was managing your property for some time, she did so under the control of this office. I shall be glad, accordingly, to receive a money order for $36.50. (G.G. Beckett to A. Gatto, April 13, 1943, RG117-A-3, Vol. 670, File no. 5039, LAC)

The outcome of the discussion is not known.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
What happened to Gatto after the war?

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG117-A-3, Vol. 670, File no. 5039.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, F-3, Vol 3563, Part 5.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.
• Pennacchio, Luigi G. “Exporting Fascism to Canada: Toronto’s Little Italy”. In Enemies Within: Italian and Other Internees in Canada and Abroad. Edited by Franca Iacovetta, Roberto Perin, and Angelo Prinicipe. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000.
• Principe, Angelo. The Darkest Side of the Fascist Years: The Italian-Canadian Press: 1920-1942. Toronto: Guernica. 1999.

POW #: P196
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: March 25, 1942
NATURALIZED: July 27, 1931
BORN: 1899
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Cape Breton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Operated bakery; Bootlegger

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

Giordano (Gordon) Gatto had served in the Italian military during World War I. He arrived in Canada in 1921 and settled in Cape Breton. His brother Bortolo (Bernie) Gatto was living in New Waterford at the time, having arrived in Canada nine years earlier. Gordon Gatto first worked in the coal mines, but in 1930 he opened a small bakery, which he operated until his arrest in 1940.

Gatto was a citizen (a naturalized British subject) at the time of his arrest. He was married to Canadian-born Edith Durando. The couple had four children, all born in Canada: a 15-year-old son and three daughters aged 13, 11 and 4. His name appears on a spring 1940 government list of “Important members of the fascio who are not naturalized and whose internment is recommended.” In an interview for the book Italian Lives, Cape Breton Memories, Gatto claims that the reason for his arrest was his involvement in the local Dopolavoro. He does not mention any involvement with the fascio.

While interned, Gatto worked for 20 cents a day. He cut wood for the camp stoves — he claims no coal was available at Petawawa. He loaded gravel at the gravel pit and worked on the road. He also seems to note with some pride building a new bridge over Petawawa River.

According to the Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP), Gatto’s family lived in a well-kept home in one of the poorest areas of New Waterford, Nova Scotia. They had a vegetable garden and kept one cow, three small pigs and some hens. After Gatto’s release, the CEP agents responsible for his file wrote: “We think that the ‘bakery’ business was more or less a blind for delivering and selling beer in small quantities to certain customers. The interned man will now be under the eyes of the R.C.M.P., and will likely have a very difficult time to make a living” (Crowell, Balcolm & Co., Letter to CEP, August 6, 1942). It’s unclear what evidence supported this allegation. However, after his release, Gatto returned to work as a miner for another 18 years.

The reasons for his release are not available. Other biographical information is lacking. 

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
What was Gatto’s involvement with the fascio?
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117-A-3, Vol. 653, Internee File 3621, “Giordano Gatto.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.
• Migliore, Sam & A. Evo Di Pierro. Italian Lives, Cape Breton Memories. Sydney: University College of Cape Breton Press, 1999.

POW #: P532
ARRESTED: June 15, 1940
RELEASED: February 1943
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN: May 19, 1895
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Cape Breton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Miner, tailor

Bortolo (Bernie) Gatto was born in Riese, Treviso in northern Italy, where he had acquired some training as a tailor. In an interview for the book Italian Lives, Cape Breton Memories, Gatto notes he was confirmed by Pope Pius X, now a Catholic saint.

At 17 years old, Gatto travelled with his father to Canada, arriving in Halifax, N.S. on December 12, 1912. Both men were recruited to work as miners by the Dominion Coal Company, which covered the cost of their translatlantic trip. For his first two years in Canada, he worked in New Waterford as both a miner and as a tailor. From 1914-1918, he lived in North Sydney where he worked in a tailor shop. During this time, he studied English and took a correspondence course on tailoring.

Gatto returned to New Waterford in 1918 and opened his own tailoring shop. He did well, hiring several employees within the first few years. However, circumstances changed and the business slowed down from the mid-1920s on, with Gatto closing his shop in 1932. He then opened a beverage room, the Citizen’s Club, which he ran up until his arrest in 1940.

It is unclear what his involvement was with Italian fascism. Gatto visited Italy in 1937 or 1938 on a trip that seems to have been sponsored by the Italian government and included Felice Martiniello, Peter Favretto and other community members. Martiniello and Favretto were both suspected by Canadian authorities as members of their local fascio. Gatto’s brother, Giordano Gatto, who had joined him in Canada in 1921, was also noted as a member of the fascio. Bortolo Gatto’s name does not appear on these same lists. He claimed to have travelled to Italy to celebrate his sister’s 60th anniversary as a nun.

At the time of his arrest, he was married to American-born Margaret MacLean. The couple would have seven children, three boys and four girls.

After his release in 1943, Gatto moved with his family to Montreal where he operated a tailor shop until 1962. He then moved back to New Waterford and operated a tavern and tailor shop until his retirement in 1975.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 653, Internee File 3621, “Bortolo Gatto.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, C11-19-2-3 Part 4.
• Migliore, Sam & A. Evo Di Pierro. Italian Lives, Cape Breton Memories. Sydney: University College of Cape Breton Press, 1999.

POW #: P551
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: July 03, 1942
NATURALIZED: 1929
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Owner, Barber/Beauty Shop

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to RCMP

Francesco (Frank) M. Gattuso arrived in Canada in 1914. He was married and had three daughters: Giuseppina, Vivian and Teresa. The family lived at 6768 Drolet St. in Montreal. Gattuso’s barber and beauty shop was located in the Ford Hotel.

Little else is known about Francesco Gattuso.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCE:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 664, Internee File 4667, “Francesco Gattuso.”

POW #: P850
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: March 20, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

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

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

Very little is known about Antonio Gaudioso. According to government documents, at the time of his arrest he was living at 1392 St. Antoine St. in Montreal.

He was released from Camp Petawawa on March 20, 1941 with the condition that he subscribe to the undertaking set out in Regulation 24 of the Defence of Canada Regulations.

Biography by Stefanie Petrilli

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces: RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117, Vol. 703, Internee File 198584 “Antonio Gaudioso.”

POW #: P884
ARRESTED: September 16, 1940
RELEASED: November 12, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: October 25, 1895
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Windsor
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION:

Not much is known about Giuseppe (Joseph) Geniale.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCE:

• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, File C-11-19-2-3, Part 1, “Minister’s Orders – Italian,” no date.

POW #: P1196
ARRESTED:
RELEASED: September 28, 1943
NATURALIZED:
BORN: November 20, 1917
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Montreal, Other Ontario
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION:

RELEASE NOTES: Released conditionally upon subscribing to Regulation 24 of the Defence of Canada Regulations (DOCR) and Special Undertaking.

Harold Gentiletti lived on Gilford St. in Montreal, QC according to Custodian of Enemy Property files; however, in RCMP files, Gentiletti is listed in Nipigon, ON.

During the Second World War, he was serving a term at the Manitoba Penitentiary in Stony Mountain; his prisoner number was 4971. Upon his release on March 5, 1942, he was “re-arrested” and given a new number ― POW#1196. He arrived at Petawawa Internment Camp on March 7, 1942.

Gentiletti was released a year and a half later.  His Notice of Release noted his residence as “Fredericton” which would indicate that he was ordered to stay in New Brunswick post-release.

Biography by Louanne Aspillaga

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117, Vol. 703, Internee File 18412 “Harold Gentiletti.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, Vol. 3568, File B.

POW #: P434
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: February 09, 1943
NATURALIZED: January 07, 1924
BORN: March 05, 1887
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Employee, Canadian Tube and Steel

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Nicola Germano was a militant fascist prior to his arrival in Montreal in 1920. He supported the local Casa d’Italia and dopolavoro. Germano was the fiduciary of the fascio in the Ville Emard neighbourhood of Montreal. Germano’s wife and children remained in Italy while he worked in Canada. He sent them his earnings from Canadian Tube and Steel.

After his arrest in June 1940, Germano was taken to the Bourdeaux Jail before being transferred to Petawawa. His family in Italy did not know what had happened to him for many months after his arrest. With the lack of correspondence and financial support, Germano’s wife became sick and died – she could not afford to buy medicine. 

Germano was released from the Petawawa Internment Camp with the following conditions: he had to report monthly to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), could not change his address or leave Montreal without first reporting to police, had to obey all laws and do “everything reasonably possible to assist in Canada’s war effort.”

One of Germano’s children – Elisa – immigrated to Montreal in 1948.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Interview with Elisa Pillarella. Aug. 7, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, Part 5, Letter from Louis St. Laurent, Minister of Justice, to S.T. Wood, RCMP Commissioner, Feb. 4, 1943.

POW #: K538/P1120
ARRESTED:
RELEASED: June 10, 1942
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN: July 24, 1913
DIED: 2005

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION: Waitor, Hotel Vancouver

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

Erminio (Herman) Ghislieri was the son of Mario Ghislieri (also interned). They came from a prominent Italian family with aristocratic ties. At the time of his arrest, government documents indicate that he was working as a waitor at the Hotel Vancouver.1

The family arrived in Canada in 1927. In 1935, the Ghislieris settled in Vancouver. Mario Ghislieri was a leading member of Vancouver’s Italian Canadian community. As a result, his sons Erminio and Federico Ghislieri (interned) were also active within the community.

Erminio Ghislieri was a member of the local fascio – Circolo Giulio Giordani. He also taught gymnastics for the Circolo Giovanile, a youth organization associated with the Vancouver Italian Canadian Society, founded by his father. When the vice-consul Giuseppe Brancucci organized a mock funeral to commemorate Guglielmo Marconi’s death, Ghislieri, wearing his blackshirt, served as one of the four honour guards for the empty coffin.

Ghislieri seems to have been arrested with his brother, over a month after his father was first taken by the authorities. He arrived at Camp Kananaskis on July 29, 1940.

In Kananaskis, the Ghislieri brothers shared a hut with Ennio Victor Fabri, Alimando Fabri, Piero Orsatti, Fred Lenzi, Carlo Casorzo, Santo Pasqualini and Angelo Ruocco. The other four occupants seem to have been Germans.

In addition to camp work (cutting wood and cleaning), Ghislieri occupied himself with recreational activities, including playing soccer. The Italian contingent was challenged by the Germans, who formed the majority at the camp, to a soccer match. The Ghislieri brothers teamed with Bruno Girardi, Attilio Girardi and other Italian Canadians. The “Italian” team handily beat the Germans.

The reasons for Ghislieri’s release are not known. After his return home he was required to report for military service.2 He was discharged due to a back injury sustained during his military training.

Ghislieri returned to work at Hotel Vancouver in mid-1943. By the time of his early retirement from the hotel, he had been promoted to catering manager. He continued to work in the food service industry, including co-ownership of a tea house. His experience was such that he taught at Vancouver Vocational Institute as a food service instructor.

1. Federico Federici and Attilio Girardi, employed at the same hotel, were also interned.
2. In some cases, it seems military service was considered as a condition of release, as reported by Fred Tenisci, Osvaldo Giacomelli, and Benny Ferri.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro
 

SOURCES:

• Bowen, Lynne. Whoever Gives us Bread. Vancouver: D&M Publishers Inc., 2011.
• Culos, Ray. Vancouver’s Society of Italians. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing, 1998.
• Library and Archives, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117 Vol. 701 File 17227; RG117 F-3 Vol 3563 Part 1.
• Library and Archives, RCMP: RG 18 Vol. 3568 File A; RG18, F-3, Vol 3563, Part 5

POW #: P1112
ARRESTED: July 22, 1940
RELEASED: January 10, 1942
NATURALIZED: January 03, 1935
BORN: March 15, 1912
DIED: 1988

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION: Macaroni Factory Worker

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

Federico (Fred) Ghislieri was the son of Mario Ghislieri (also interned). They came from a prominent Italian family with aristocratic ties. At the time of his arrest, government documents indicate that he was a macaroni factory worker. He may have been employed by Italo Rader (also interned), Manager of Catelli Food Products Ltd., Vancouver factory.

Ghislieri’s father arrived in Canada in 1927, and soon thereafter the family seems to have settled in Vancouver. Mario Ghislieri was a leading member in the Italian Canadian community in Vancouver in the 1930s. As a result, his sons Federico and Erminio Ghislieri (also interned) were also active within the community.

Federico Ghislieri was a member of the local fascio – Circolo Giulio Giordani. He also served as secretary of the Circolo Giovanile, a youth organization associated with the Vancouver Italian Canadian Society, founded by his father.

Given this involvement, it is not surprising that all the Ghislieri men were interned. However, Federico Ghislieri was arrested over a month after his father. He was sent to Camp Kananaskis on July 29, 1940.

A creative and talented man, Ghislieri spent some of his leisure time while interned at both Camp Kananaskis and Camp Petawawa (to which he was later transferred), carving wooden objects. He also remained physically active, playing soccer. The Italian contingent was challenged by the Germans, who formed the majority at Camp Kananaskis, to a soccer match. The Ghislieri brothers teamed with Bruno Girardi, Attilio Girardi and other Italian Canadians. The “Italian” team handily beat the Germans.

In Camp Kananaskis, the Ghislieri brothers shared a hut with Ennio Victor Fabri, Alimando Fabri, Piero Orsatti, Fred Lenzi, Carlo Casorzo, Santo Pasqualini and Angelo Ruocco. The other four occupants seem to have been Germans.

Federico was the first of the Ghislieri men to be released, the reasons for which are not known. He was ordered released on January 6, 1942.

His future brother-in-law Fred Tenisci was also interned.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
What happened to Ghislieri after the war?

SOURCES:

• Culos, Ray. Vancouver’s Society of Italians. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing, 1998.
• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces: RG24, Vol 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG117, Vol 1915, File 2660, “Federico Ghislieri”.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG117, Vol 697, File 12553, “MV Ghislieri.”

POW #: K274/P1052
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: February 06, 1943
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN:
DIED: 1970

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Building Contractor

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon agreeing to a Special Undertaking and monthly reporting to the RCMP

Mario Vincenzo Ghislieri came from a prominent Italian family with aristocratic ties. He owned a large parcel of land in Piedmont, but a flood bankrupted him in 1926. With his wife and children (Federico, Erminio and Gabriela), Ghislieri emigrated to Saskatchewan where he established a homestead in 1927. The drought during the Depression caused significant financial hardship in the Prairies, and the family next moved to Vancouver in 1935. On his arrival, Ghislieri seems to have earned a living as a carpenter and later leveraged his considerable skills into a career in construction.

Ghislieri was a leading member of the Italian Canadian community in Vancouver. Soon after his arrival, the educated immigrant joined the newly-formed Vancouver Italian Canadian Society and became one of its directors. He also worked with the President of the Sons of Italy, William Ruocco, to form an overarching committee representing the various clubs, organizations and fasci of the local community. In 1937, he founded the Circolo Giovanile, a youth organization (also described as a fascio for adolescents) associated with the Vancouver Italian Canadian Society. His three children were all board members. Federico Ghislieri (interned) also served as the Secretary and his other son Erminio Ghislieri (also interned) taught gymnastics.

In 1938, Ghislieri was serving on the board of directors of the language school — Patronato Scolastico Italiano. Established in 1929, the school had come under the control of Italian vice-consul Giuseppe Brancucci in 1937. Other board members included future internee Gregorio Fuoco and two others who were not interned, Marino Culos and Angelo Branca.

In April 1940, Ghislieri organized the annual Natale di Roma banquet. This celebration of the “birth of Rome” was held at the Hotel Vancouver, with undercover officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police serving as waiters. At the time of his arrest, he was acting as the President of the Italian War Veterans Association (Associazione Italiana Ex Combattenti).

Given his noted community involvement, it is not surprising that Ghislieri was among those arrested. His name appears on a government list dating to Spring 1940 of “Important members of the fascio who are naturalized and whose internment is recommended”.  He was first detained at the Immigration Building in Vancouver, and transferred via train and interned at Camp Kananaskis on July 2, 1940.

In summer 1941, the Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) seems to have requested that Ghislieri be questioned at Kananaskis about the Italian War Veterans Association. He confirmed that the organization had 40 members of whom 14 were interned at the camp. He also noted as fellow members of the executive Samuele Valente (Secretary-Treasurer) and Carlo Casorzo (Secretary). The organization’s funds remained on deposit at a branch of the Bank of Montreal. As the officers of the organization were all interned, these funds were not accessible to the membership. Ghislieri requested that part of these funds be withdrawn for use by the interned members. His request was denied with the explanation that the association had been declared an illegal organization.

Ghislieri is among the few men who were interned at all three camps: Kananaskis, Petawawa, and Fredericton. He was ordered released on January 30, 1943.  Among the conditions imposed on his release were the following:

That he will not journey from Vancouver without first reporting details of his proposed trip to your Force at Vancouver, and if so required by your Force, he will report at his destination or destinations, to such police officer or officers as may be designated by your Force;

That he obey all laws and regulations, and do everything reasonably possible to assist in Canada’s war effort, and that he do or say nothing that might in any way detract from the war effort of Canada or its Allies, or that might in any way assist or encourage any enemy of Canada or its Allies;

That he have nothing to do with Fascism or any Fascist or other forbidden club or organization;

That he sign an undertaking to abide by all of the above conditions.

I further direct that Ghislieri be given a copy of these conditions.”
Louis St Laurent, Minister of Justice, to ST Wood, RCMP Commissioner, January 30, 1943. RG18, F-3, Vol. 3563, Part 5

After his release, Ghislieri returned to Vancouver and his family.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro
 
SOURCES:

• Bowen, Lynne. Whoever Gives us Bread. Vancouver: D&M Publishers Inc., 2011.
• Culos, Ray. Vancouver’s Society of Italians. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing, 1998.
• Library and Archives, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117 Vol. 697 File 12553.
• Library and Archives, RCMP: Louis St Laurent, Minister of Justice, to ST Wood, RCMP Commissioner, 30 Jan 1943. RG18, F-3, Vol. 3563, Part 5.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol 3563 C11-19-2-3, Part 4.

POW #: P669
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: May 29, 1945
NATURALIZED:
BORN: August 02, 1921
DIED: March 04, 2006

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Labourer, Canadian National Railway (CNR)

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release (see below)

Osvaldo Giacomelli was born in Hamilton, Ontario. At age eight, he moved back to Italy with his parents. In 1939, on the advice of his father, Giacomelli returned to Canada due to rumours that Italy would be entering the war. Giacomelli lived with his aunt Teresa Spallaci at 32 Case St. in Hamilton. On June 10, 1940, nineteen-year-old Giacomelli was arrested on suspicion that he was “an important member of the Hamilton Fascis [sic].” (RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1).

Giacomelli was interned at Camp Petawawa on June 18, 1940, and later transferred to Camp Fredericton.  Fellow internee, Vincenzo Poggi, mentions in a letter that Giacomelli was one of pro-fascist, Nello Trasciatti’s “three stooges.”  In one incident, Poggi claims that upon Trasciatti’s orders, Giacomelli and another internee, Francesco (Frank) Cocomille, threw his bed and blankets out of the hut.

Giacomelli was a labourer at Canadian National Railway (CNR). During his internment, Giacomelli wrote a letter asking that CNR pay the balance of $75, that he was owed, to his aunt. His request was granted as records indicate that Ms. Spallaci received the full amount. However, Giacomelli’s other request – to be released from internment – was not granted. The response to his appeal was:
“The Minister of Justice, on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee which considered the above party’s objection to his detention under the Defence of Canada Regulations, has ordered that such detention be continued.”

Giacomelli, one of the last Italian Canadian internees to be released, was sent home on May 29, 1945. At the time of his release, Giacomelli was required to sign a document with the following conditions:

I, now, in consideration of my release or exemption from detention as a citizen of ITALY, hereby undertake and promise that I will report to such officer or official and upon such terms as the Canadian authorities may from time to time prescribed that I will carefully observe and obey the laws of Canada and such rules or regulations as may specially be prescribed for my conduct by competent authority; that I will strictly abstain from taking up arms against and from doing any act of hostility towards the Government of this country, and that, except with the permission of the officer or official under whose surveillance I may be placed, I will strictly abstain from communicating to anyone whomsoever any information concerning the existing war or the movement of troops or the military reparations which the authorities of Canada, or the United Kingdom or any of his Majesty’s dominions or any allied or associated Power may make, or concerning the resources of Canada, and that I will do no act and will not encourage the doing of any act which might be of injury to the Dominion of Canada or the United Kingdom or any of his Majesty’s dominions or any allied or associated Power.

In 2005, Giacomelli filed a case against Canada stating that he was wrongfully interned and subsequently charged an administration fee for the handling of his affairs during his internment. Giacomelli contested that he had no affairs to handle and therefore is owed compensation; further, he argued that Canada’s refusal to grant such compensation is contradictory to the freedoms and liberties of the Charter, specifically in sections 7 and 15. When Giacomelli died in March of 2006, his case was still unresolved.  The executors and trustees of his estate tried to pursue the case on Giacomelli’s behalf, but was denied based on the precedented case of Canada (Attorney General) v. Hislop.  In the Hislop case, “the Supreme Court explained that rights guaranteed by s. 15 (1) of the Charter cannot be asserted because those rights are personal and being personal ends with the death of the affected person. The Court went on to state in paragraph 73 that an estate is just a ‘collection of assets and liabilities of a person who has died. It is not an individual and it has no dignity that may be infringed.’”

Biography by Louanne Aspillaga
 

SOURCES:

• Deadbeat. Vol. 27, No. 2., December 2008. Ontario Bar Association. http://www.oba.org/En/tru/PDF/trudec_v27n2_.pdf
• Government of Canada, Defence of Canada Regulations, Ottawa: J.O. Patenaude, 1939.
• Letter by Vincenzo Poggi. CWM 20020203-020, Canadian War Museum. 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. 662, Internee File 4449, “Osvaldo Giacomelli.”

POW #: P985
ARRESTED: January 09, 1941
RELEASED: July 03, 1942
NATURALIZED: October 14, 1908
BORN: 1890
DIED: 1955

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Labourer, Canadian National Railway (CNR)

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to authorities

Luigi Gialleonardo was born in Italy in 1890. He immigrated to Canada on April 22, 1904 and settled in Montreal where he lived with his wife and 12 children. According to government documents Gialleonardo became a citizen (a naturalized British subject) on October 14, 1908.

Gialleonardo worked as a labourer for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) well into the war years, where six of Gialleonardo’s co-workers reported that he “frequently expressed himself in favour of the Mussolinian [sic] Regime and Fascism generally.” Gialleonardo was an active member of the fascio and dopolavoro in the Ville-Émard neighbourhood of Montreal. He also frequented Casa d’Italia. According to clippings found in L’Italia, in 1940 Gialleonardo served as the vice president and treasurer of the dopolavoro. Government documents also seem to suggest that Gialleonardo had close ties with the Italian Consul and the fiduciary of the Ville Émard fascio.

The following information was discovered in a special file created for the Italian government, and most likely used by the Canadian government as grounds for his eventual internment:

Gialleonardo is known by everyone in the district of Ville Emard and other places as an active and diligent leader and Fascist and as a splendid propagandist of our ideology and he has extremely anti-British feelings. One of his sons also trained the youngsters at the Casa d’Italia. He has not been interned and even now continues his splendid propaganda fearlessly, thus giving proof of his uncrushable fascist faith. He was always on splendid terms with all the Consular authorities and the leaders of the Fascio and Dopolavoro. He may be defined as an ideal fascist and leader.

Gialleonardo was eventually detained by authorities on January 9, 1941 and was interned at Camp Petawawa on April 2, 1941. He spent over a year at the camp before being released to Montreal where he was required to report to authorities on a monthly basis.

While Gialleonardo was interned, two of his sons were serving in the Canadian Forces.  Louis volunteered for the Canadian Navy in 1939; he was stationed on a corvette (a fast, lightly armed warship) in the Atlantic Ocean escorting convoys. Joseph volunteered for the Canadian Army and was part of the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME). He was first stationed in Montreal, before being sent to Scotland and France.  His most notable contribution to the war was his participation in the Invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Gialleonardo died a tragic death at the age of 65 – pinned to a brick wall by a truck that had brake failure.  He was on his way to the CNR doctor for a physical, a prerequisite for receiving his pension.

According to Gialleonardo’s grandson, David Leonardo, the impact that the internment had on the family was significant. During the war, it became difficult to a find job as an Italian Canadian; like many others the Gialleonardo family anglicized their name to “Leonard.”  Post war, it was again changed to “Leonardo.”

Biography by Stefanie Petrilli and Louanne Aspillaga

SOURCES:

• Correspondence with David Leonardo, grandson of Luigi Gialleonardo and son of Joseph Leonardo.  Project Staff at Columbus Centre of Toronto, February 2013.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117, Vol. 700, Internee File 15428 “Luigi Gialleonardo.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, F-3, Vol. 3563, Parts 2 & 3.

POW #: P810
ARRESTED: August 03, 1940
RELEASED: August 11, 1941
NATURALIZED: October 23, 1922
BORN: October 18, 1889
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Hamilton
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Tailor, Coppley Noyes and Randall

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Guido Gioberti graduated with a degree from the University of Bologna. He was married to Nazarena Zana (b. 1895). The couple had a son named Jim and two daughters, one of whom was named Mary (b. February 3, 1916). The family lived in Hamilton before World War I. After the war, the Giobertis returned to Italy so that their children could learn the Italian language. They moved back to Hamilton in 1928 because Gioberti could not earn enough money as a limousine driver in his hometown of Ascoli Piceno.

In Hamilton, Gioberti was the bandleader of the Italian Canadian Marine Band. He had the ability to play many different instruments. Gioberti was interned due to the fact that his band performed at the Casa d’Italia. Gioberti was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) while working at Coppley Noyes and Randall. Officers also ransacked the Gioberti residence but did not find the incriminating fascist paraphernalia they were looking for.

During Gioberti’s internment his three children were forced to find jobs to help support the family. Nazarena and the children all worked for the same sewing company – Coppley Noyes and Randall.

At Petawawa, Gioberti put his time to good use and learned to speak French, Spanish and Russian.

After Gioberti’s release, the family members anglicized their last name to Gilbert in order to find work more easily. 

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCE:

• Interview with Mary C. Thornton. June 24, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.

POW #: P320
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: June 06, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN: February 03, 1890
DIED: 1980

CAMP(S):
TOWN/CITY: Other Ontario
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Machinist, Canadian Pacific Railway

Italo Gioia was born on February 3, 1889 in the province of Ancona, Italy. Gioa worked as an elementary school teacher but in his early 20s, he left Italy for Canada in search of a better life. He settled in Montreal where he met Louisa, a seamstress. Gioia married Louisa and they moved to North Bay where he secured work with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as a machinist. The couple lived on 6th Ave. West in North Bay. They were childless.

Gioia held great patriotism for Italy and had a passion for the rich culture and history that defined his homeland. His devotion to Italy drew him to become a member of the fascist party because of its commitment to enhancing Italian culture in music, architecture, and the arts. However, according to the family, he was not a political activist of fascism; Gioia’s interest in fascism was therefore only in the cultural aspect of it.

Gioia was a popular and active member of the North Bay Italian community. He was involved in organizing youth trips to Italy so as to introduce the students to Italy’s history and its art. He also taught art at summer camp. 

At the talk of war, Gioia suspected that Italy was going to enter war on the side of Germany and that this action may result in his arrest. As a precaution he threw away a number of items that linked him to fascist activities. On June 10, 1940, Gioia was arrested and was sent to Camp Petawawa.

According to the family, his internment was a dark period of his life. During this time, he sent home letters and beautiful sketches of flowers and scenes of nature, inspired by the remote landscape which surrounded Petawawa. The family confirms that the letters they received from Gioia were censored.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) files, Gioia’s release from Petawawa was expedited based on compassionate grounds due to an unspecified “physical condition”; he was released on June 6, 1941. Instead, the family claims that Gioia was interned for the entire duration of the war. There is no supporting documentation to support this assertation.

Gioia’s internment resulted in the loss of his position with the CPR and he was deeply hurt by this. The embarrassment of losing his job led him and Louisa to leave North Bay for Toronto, where he secured a job as a machinist. They lived on Oakwood Ave. in the Dufferin St. and St. Claire Ave. West area, where many Italians lived. Gioia loved gardening; he grew many types of vegetables and grapes.

Gioia did not speak of his time at the internment camp to his family. While the internment experience changed Gioia and the direction he may have charted his life, it did not destroy his feelings for his beloved Italy. He was well-educated and his intellectual passion for Italian culture and its art never waned. Gioia’s passion for Italian culture passed down to the younger generations in his family and this is the legacy that his family proudly carries today.

Gioia died in Toronto in 1980 and is buried alongside his wife in St. Mary’s Cemetery in North Bay.

Biography by Louanne Aspillaga
 
SOURCES:

• Correspondence with Nadine Condon, Grandniece of Italo Gioia. Project Staff at Columbus Centre, May 2012.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 660, Internee File 4256, “Italo Gioia.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3568, File B.
• Minister’s Orders List V1 & V3.

POW #: K337 / P1082
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: November 27, 1941
NATURALIZED: Canadian born
BORN: December 15, 1916
DIED: August 26, 1997

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Logger; Maitre d’/Waiter; Businessman

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

Attilio Girardi along with his older brother Bruno Girardi (also interned) was born in Vancouver to Italian parents who had immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. The two brothers would travel to Italy in 1922 with their parents, where they would remain, receiving an education, until October 1930. At this time, and with war on the horizon, they were advised by their father to return to Canada, since both sons were Canadian citizens.

On his return, Girardi found work with Brown & Kirkland Logging in Elk Bay. Later he worked in the restaurant of the Vancouver Hotel. According to his nephew, also named Attilio Girardi, he was a good-looking man, who enjoyed the finer things in life.

Both Girardi brothers were active in the Italian-Canadian community in Vancouver. Attilio Girardi was a member of the Sons of Italy Society. He was also a member of the fascio in Vancouver – the Circolo Giulio Giordani. When Italy declared war against the Allies, they along with other members of the fascio and a handful of others, were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – Girardi was apparently asleep at the home where he boarded. He was detained at the Canada Immigration Building and interned in Camp Kananaskis on July 17, 1940.

At Camp Kananaskis, both brothers shared a hut that slept 12, with 10 Germans. According to family, ironically, they were put to work with explosives, clearing rocks for road and bridge-building projects. They were paid for this work by the government. The money was issued against their camp accounts. Some internees seemed able to send some of this money home to family.

The brothers were also skilled soccer players. Challenged by the Germans, who formed the majority at the camp, the Girardi brothers teamed with Fred Ghislieri, Herman Ghislieri and other Italian Canadians. The “Italian” team handily beat the Germans.

The remaining Italian-Canadian internees in Kananaskis were transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp in 1941. Girardi seems to have had a hearing of his case, the details of which are not known. He was released in late 1941, a few weeks before his brother. The family notes his arrival home on Christmas Day.

After their release and return to Vancouver, the brothers worked together, with Bruno often taking Attilio under his wing and including him as a partner in his various business endeavours, including a grocery store and later in Girardi’s Ship Chandlers, a company that outfitted and restocked supplies for ships. The brothers would have a falling out over some business transactions involving the ship business. On his own, Attilio Girardi would become one of the biggest importers of wine, liquors and foodstuffs.

After his release, Girardi married Maria Perazzo. The couple had three daughters. Eventually the family grew to include six grandsons. Attilio Girardi passed away in Vancouver at the age of 81.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro
 
SOURCES:

• Culos, Ray. Vancouver’s Society of Italians. Vancouver: Harbour Publishing, 1998.
• Interview with Attilio Girardi. May 31, 2011. ICEA2011.0029.0001, Columbus Centre Collection.
• Interview with Attilio Girardi. July 5, 2011. ICEA2011.0029.0002, Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces: RG24, Vol 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, F-3, Vol 3563, Part 5.
• Tina Peters, granddaughter of Bruno Girardi, grand-niece of Attilio Girardi. Correspondence with project staff at Columbus Centre of Toronto, April 2012.

POW #: K334 / P1080
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: December 13, 1941
NATURALIZED: Canadian born
BORN: October 03, 1913
DIED: September 20, 1995

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Entrepreneur, Founder, L’Eco Italo-Canadese

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release, reporting monthly to the RCMP in Vancouver and recommendation that he be detained if disloyal in any way

Bruno Girardi was born on October 3, 1913, at the family home located at 231 Prior St. in Vancouver. His parents, Luigi and Luigia Maria (née Furlanetto) Girardi, and his grandmother, Regina Morellato, immigrated to Canada in 1911. In 1922, the Girardi family moved back to Italy. 

In Italy, Girardi attended the Istituto Nautico Sebastiano Venier – a nautical college in Venice – in order to become a boat captain. Fervour for fascism was at its peak in the 1930s. His parents were concerned about the political unrest in Italy and the possibility of war: “My grandfather had said to him, ‘Bruno, if you stay here, and we win the war, the Italians are gonna shoot you because you’re Canadian born. And if we lose the war, the British will shoot you because you’re a spy’ (Attilio Girardi, Son of Bruno Girardi, May 31, 2011).

Bruno and his brother, Attilio Girardi, received a special Emergency Exit document from the British Consul in Venice. They travelled to Ellis Island aboard the Augustus and arrived in Vancouver on October 28, 1930. Bruno was 17 and Attilio was 14. Both suffered from culture shock, after having been away for so long. 

In 1936, Bruno met Emma Marian Cima at Tosi & Company, an Italian import business, where they worked. At first they did not get along, but within one month of working alongside each other, they eloped and were married on May 28, 1936. Their first son, Attilio, was born on July 27, 1937. 

Around the same time that he got married, Bruno founded a newspaper for the Italian community called L’Eco Italo-Canadese. Bruno was also involved in the community club Circolo Giulio Giordani, which he claimed had political objectives. For this reason, in 1939, he sent a letter to the Canadian government to ask if the club was considered dangerous. He was told that he should continue doing valuable work with the club, specifically with youth.

Bruno was arrested on June 10, 1940. He was interned on July 18, 1940, days before his son’s third birthday. Emma and baby Attilio followed Bruno by streetcar to the Immigration Building in Vancouver where they could see him behind the bars. Bruno told his wife that he would contact her soon, but she did not hear from him until several weeks later. Bruno told his family that he pushed away the first meal he was served after being arrested. The meal consisted of meat, a few peas and a piece of potato on a tin plate. The guard told him that he would eat it the next day. And he was right.

The Girardi brothers were taken by train to Camp Kananaskis where they shared the same hut – Number 32 – along with ten German internees. At Kananaskis, Bruno’s job was to get wood from the forest. Tina Peters recalled her grandfather describing the camaraderie. He said, “We would come back with three people per wheelbarrow. One internee was pushing it, flanked by an internee on each side with their hands on the wood to look useful. Obviously, we didn’t need all those people but the work got done fast and then we could rest” (Tina Peters, Granddaughter of Bruno Girardi, March 2012).

During his internment, Bruno wrote to Minister Lapointe on a monthly basis to ask why he was being detained. Bruno was told that he was arrested for being a fascist and a Nazi. He was given a hearing in Alberta, where the judge recommended that all of the internees should be thrown into a garbage can.

After his transfer to the Petawawa Internment Camp, he was given a hearing with three military commissioners in nearby Pembroke. He was flanked by two Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers. Annotated issues of his newspaper were presented at the hearing. According to his son, the newspaper articles he wrote contributed to his arrest and internment:

They shipped him to Petawawa and they had him in front of a tribunal, where there were three judges – military judges. And he was standing there, by himself. And he looked to his right, he looked to his left and the guys said to him, “Well Bruno, why are you doing that for?” He said, “Well, I don’t understand. I’m arrested for writing in my newspaper. But the guys who own the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province newspapers are not here.” He was asked, “Why should they be?” He said, “I only translated what they wrote” (Attilio Girardi, Son of Bruno Girardi, May 31, 2011).

Bruno was not impressed when the officials asked his wife to send in letters of reference vouching for his good character. He called the hearing a kangaroo court.

On December 13, 1941, Bruno was released. It was recommended, however, that he be detained again if he was in any way disloyal to Canada. And he was required to report monthly to the RCMP in Vancouver. Six months after his release, Bruno was called for service with the Canadian Forces. He appeared before Judge Madson at the War Board where he asked if he should still serve with the Canadian Forces considering that he was an enemy alien. Judge Madson replied that he should. However, Bruno’s enlistment depended upon the results of a physical. The physical resulted with Bruno’s form stamped with “IV-E” (conscientious objectors available only for civilian work of national importance), which he believed meant that he could not serve due to political reasons. 

Despite his difficulties during the internment, Bruno believed that the wives and families left behind suffered the most. He explained to his son that internees received three meals a day and had forms of entertainment, while those at home were suffering: “Well, he said to me, many a time, he says, ‘Attilio,’ he says, ‘it was a recession. No jobs. Everybody was starving to death. We were being fed. We had our own cook, which was Nino Sala, a famous guy from Vancouver, had his own restaurants here. He was our cook. The Germans on one side, we on the other side. We would exchange food. We would play soccer together or baseball. You know, we would do a lot of things’” (Attilio Girardi, Son of Bruno Girardi, May 31, 2011).

During Bruno’s internment, Emma and baby Attilio were forced to move in with her parents. To help make ends meet, Emma worked as a waitress. Her first day of work was on December 7, 1941 – the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Emma was a victim of discrimination when she was refused medical attention at the General Hospital because she was married to an internee.

After the war, Bruno went on to become a successful entrepreneur, which included being a grocer, a butcher, a ship chandler, a travel agent, an accountant, an importer and a tile distributor. He financed and hosted a weekly radio program on CKWX entitled Musica Italiana, and he had a brief stint as a TV actor. Bruno enjoyed travelling and gardening, especially kiwi and figs.

Many years later, at a Vancouver meeting held by the Redress Committee, he was asked if he was a fascist. Bruno replied, “Yes, I was a fascist. I still am a fascist. I didn’t change. Let’s be honest.” Bruno always believed in the ideals of fascism and all of the good that Mussolini did for Italy and its people. He explained his perspective from an economic standpoint, where people are cared for under the best working conditions and where the state negotiates between capitalists and its workers. Those who visited Bruno at work remembered the picture of Mussolini proudly displayed above his desk. He continued to be a leader in the Italian community and, at that time, he was the only Canadian-born president of the Sons of Italy.

Bruno stated that it is difficult to understand what it was like to be a political prisoner in one’s own country, as one who had no rights. He is remembered as saying, “It was hard to get 18 months of barbed wire out of your gut.”

Bruno worked until the age of 81 when he suffered a stroke soon after surgery. He passed away on September 20, 1995, less than two weeks before his birthday. Bruno left a legacy of three children, nine grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Biography by Krystle Copeland

Do you know…
More about the prison near the CPR building and Georgia Street Bridge in Vancouver?
Any information about the military hearings in Pembroke, Ontario, during World War II?

SOURCES:

• Correspondence with Tina Peters, Granddaughter of Bruno Girardi. Project Staff at Columbus Centre of Toronto, March 2012.
• Interview with Attilio Girardi. May 31, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: F-3, Vol. 3568, File B.
• Vancouver Committee Meeting: Redress Committee Formed by CIBPA, CIAO, National Congress Members. c. 1990.

POW #: P773
ARRESTED:
RELEASED: March 11, 1941
NATURALIZED: 1939
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Tailor, Hyde Park

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Nicola Girolamo (Nick Jerome) arrived in Canada around 1920. He was married to Michelina (Anne). The couple lived at 6554 Chambord St. in Montreal.

Jerome was a close friend of Donato Monaco. Jerome was active in the Protestant Italian Church of the Redeemer. He was an Elder responsible for the collection money. Like Monaco, Jerome was involved in Augusto Bersani’s dismissal as church minister in 1938. Jerome’s internment was directly related to Bersani’s role as Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) informer SA 203.   

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 682, Internee File 6187 “Nick Jerome.”
• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds:  MG 30, E 182, Vol. 14, Letter to Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, Dec. 3, 1940.

POW #:
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: April 13, 1943
NATURALIZED:
BORN: October 06, 1890
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Windsor
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Labourer

Leonardo Giuliano was born on October 6, 1890 in Segno, Italy. He lived on Brant St. in Windsor. He was arrested on June 10, 1940 at 6:33 p.m by the Windsor Police. He was described as 170 lbs, 5’7” tall with black hair. He was 50 years old and illiterate. He was single. He had a knife and 32 cents in his pockets at the time of arrest. He was turned over to military authorities on the same day and sent to Petawawa Internment Camp. He was released three years later on April 13, 1943.

Biography by Louanne Aspillaga

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, Vol. 3568, File B.
• Windsor Police Services Board and Windsor Police Service, RG8, D records of operational divisions 1915-1959, II. Administrative Division 1920-1957 1. Criminal Records Branch – Prisoners Registers 1920-1950, Unit 11 [1940], Windsor Public Library.

POW #: P313
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: May 08, 1941
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN: March 18, 1890
DIED: 1950

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Timmins
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Owner, grocery store

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release, but must report to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) upon arrival

Giuseppe (Joseph) Giustini came to Canada in 1912 and found work in the silver mines of Cobalt, ON. While in Italy he had served with the Italian army.

In Canada, Giustini married Angelina Purificati. According to family, the couple had made their way to Timmins by horse and sled when gold was discovered in the Porcupine camp. They were married at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church in Timmins in 1912, the third official marriage in the town. In Timmins, the couple had four children: Gino, Edo, Gina and Johnny. Gino died as an infant. After working in the mines for a short time, Giustini became ill and the family moved back to Italy. Three other children were born in Italy — Domenic, Lynda and Maria, who also died in infancy.

Life was difficult in Italy:

My grandparents realized there was no future there for their children so they decided to move back to Canada. They couldn’t afford to take the whole family at the same time so they took the two youngest and left the three who were born in Timmins with their grandmother in Villa Santa Lucia. When they could afford it, they sent for the rest of their kids, but left Gina behind to care for her grandmother. We would hear stories from Italy about the sad scene in the Villa when this young girl was left screaming as her family left for Timmins without her. (Robert Romualdi, grandson, May 6, 2012)

At the time of his arrest, Giustini was a citizen (naturalized British subject). He owned a grocery store (across the street from the Timmins Daily Press). According to his family, many of his customers were members of the Italian community, notably Italian miners. Giustini helped the miners send money to their families in Italy. The family believes this was interpreted by the Canadian government as sending money back to Italy to support the fascists.

Giustini also owned other real estate and was a partner in a beverage company. He seemed to have been heavily mortgaged. He had shares in a mine, life insurance, and cash in the bank. His Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) file notes his net worth at about $5,200. However, it seems these assets were not readily available to the family, who applied for government relief. He did have debts, including to the supplier Pastene Co. Ltd; the company also counted other internees Angelo Belfanti and Carmine De Marco among its customers.

Giustini was arrested at his store and taken to Porquis Junction. His name does appear on the government list dating to Spring 1940 of “Important members of the fascio who are naturalized and whose interrogation is recommended”.  The extent of his fascist activities or fascist support is not known. According to family, he had given a speech at the Timmins Arena the previous evening pledging allegiance to Canada and urging all Italian residents of Timmins to stay loyal to their new country.

Giustini was interned in Barracks Five at Camp Petawawa. Although, the reasons for his release are not available, his family believes a close personal friend who was a lawyer took his case and secured his release. He served on the Board of Directors of the DeSantis Mine. Their corporate lawyer, Mr. Devaney, the former mayor J.P. Bartleman, and many other influential citizens of Timmins vouched for Giustini’s character and loyalty.

His order for release stated that he was to be provided with a second class transportation and sufficient warm clothing for the journey home, and that he should register at the post office in accordance with the National Registration Act.

After his release, we do know that he was charged a hefty $282.11 CEP administration fee.

Giustini died from cancer within the next couple of years. Although he always told his children not to be vindictive, that they should be good and productive Canadian citizens, his daughter believed his death was in part influenced by the embarrassment and humiliation he suffered as a result of his internment.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
Was Giustini an active member of the fascio?
 
SOURCES:

• Correspondence with Robert Romualdi, Grandson of Giuseppe Giustini. Project staff at Columbus Centre of Toronto, April and May 2012.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG 117 Vol 658 File 4150.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP): RG 117, Vol 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.

POW #: P1108
ARRESTED: August 01, 1940
RELEASED: March 06, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN: October 13, 1899
DIED:

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION:

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

Very little is known about Antonio Granieri. According to government documents, at the time of his arrest he was living at 797 Keefer St in Vancouver.

Upon his release from Camp Petawawa, Granieri was forced to relocate:

Prior to their internment, these men [including Olivero Marino and Vincenzo Ricci] were included within a protected area, within which it is now prohibited that enemy aliens should reside. It will, therefore, be necessary for these men to elect another place of residence to which they may be sent upon release … it is suggested that Montreal would be a suitable place in view of the fact that both Marini[sic] and Vincenzo Ricci are shoemakers by trade and that the centre of the shoemaking industry is in Montreal. There is, further, a considerable Italian colony in Montreal which would, no doubt, help these men to re-establish themselves in civil occupations. (Captain H. N. Streight, Commissioner of Internment Operations, letter to Commandant, Petawawa Internment Camp, March 3, 1942)

According to government documents Granieri chose to relocate to Toronto.

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG117, Vol. 702, Internee File 18276 “Antonio Granieri.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, Vol. 3568, File B.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG18, F-3, Vol. 3563, Part 1.

POW #: P457
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: January 30, 1942
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

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

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Vincenzo (James) Greco was married to Angiolina and the couple had four children: Theresa, Michael, Flora and Anthony. The Grecos lived at 8231 De Gaspe St. in Montreal at the time of Vincenzo’s internment. After his release, the family lived at 2232 Wilson Ave. Little else is known about Vincenzo Greco.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCE:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 664, Internee File 4677, “Vincenzo Greco.”

POW #: P550
ARRESTED: June 24, 1940
RELEASED: February 04, 1941
NATURALIZED: 1913
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Construction business

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release; required to report monthly

There is very little information known about Carmelo Gaetano Grimaldi. At the time of his arrest, he was married to Kate, and they had five children. He had been a citizen (a British naturalized subject) since 1913. His name appears on a spring 1940 government list of “Members of the fascio of Canadian nationality whose examination should be ordered under Regulation 21 of the Defence of Canada Regulations.” The Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) maintained a file on this individual. CEP sold his car against Grimaldi’s will.

During his internment, Grimaldi’s mother-in-law took care of his family. The police did not notify the family of Grimaldi’s location. His wife visited the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) station and was denied the information. She then sought the help of others including Mr. Kenneth Lawrey, who wrote:

…as I have known them both for many years I would like to do anything that I can to help. I understand that the R.C.M.P. rarely pick up anyone merely on suspicion, but knowing Grimaldi I feel that it is just possible that a mistake has been made. Grimaldi has been in the construction business since 1920, and it was through that that I got to know him. He has never been particularly friendly with the Italians here, most of his friends being English or French. At the outbreak of war with Italy he immediately reported to the R.C.M.P., although he is a naturalized Canadian since 1913, and his family of five children were all born here. Both he and his wife told me that the R.C.M.P told him that they had nothing against him… For some time he has been negotiating with a financial firm in New York with a view to obtaining a mortgage loan for some apartments that he intended building, and in the ordinary course of business this firm asked him to come down to New York. I understand that it was when he applied for a passport to leave Canada that he was taken by the R.C.M.P. (Mr. Kenneth Lawrey to General E. De B. Panet, July 15, 1940).

The reasons for his release are not known. Other biographical information is lacking. 

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
What was the nature of Grimaldi’s activities with the fascio?
What happened to Grimaldi after the war?

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 656, Internee File 3863, “Carmelo Gaetano Grimaldi.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.

POW #: P1046
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: December 12, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Kananaskis, Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Vancouver
MARITAL STATUS: Unknown
OCCUPATION:

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to RCMP

Not much is known about Giuseppe Grimaldi.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, RG 24, Vol. 6586, File 5-1-1.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, Vol. 3563, File C-11-19-2-3, Part 5, Letter from Joseph-Enoil Michaud, Acting Minister of Justice, to S.T. Wood, RCMP Commissioner, Dec. 9, 1941.

POW #: P399
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: February 03, 1941
NATURALIZED:
BORN: January 21, 1893
DIED: May 18, 1975

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Toronto
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Insurance broker, Sun Life Assurance

RELEASE NOTES: Unconditional release

Giuseppe (Joseph) Grittani arrived in Toronto in 1907. He married Elena on October 23, 1919. The couple lived with their 3 children (Gloria, Howard and Joe Jr.) at 2 Northcliffe Blvd. in Toronto.

Grittani was a member was a member of the Order Sons of Italy. He followed the reporting of the organization in the pages of the fascist paper Il Bollettino Italo-Canadese published by Tommaso Mari in Toronto. Mari was a grand officer of the Sons of Italy. Grittani took issue with the way in which the organization was represented in Mari’s paper. He felt that Mari was giving the wider Italian Canadian public the impression that the order was a fascist organization. Grittani sought to establish another paper that would report on the Order Sons of Italy “in a true and honest form.” Grittani even secured the funds necessary to help launch the paper. However, due to Mari’s influence in the organization, Grittani’s offer to start a new paper was not accepted by order members.

Grittani’s family had received no word that he had been arrested on June 10, 1940, and had no idea what had happened to him. It was not until The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) searched the family home that it became clear that Grittani was in serious trouble. 

Grittani’s internment was a serious blow to his family though they carried on as best as they could. Giuseppe’s and Elena’s bank account was frozen and Elena was able to continue her husband’s work as an insurance broker. However, this meant taking her son Howard out of school to drive her to appointments and his studies suffered as a result. At the same time, other Sun Life agents were paying visits to Grittani’s clients and trying to convince them that they should end their relationships with Grittani because he had been interned.

After his release, Grittani was involved in trying to have the Casa d’Italia returned to Toronto’s Italian Canadian community. It had been seized by Canadian authorities during World War II. In the 1950s, Grittani was the president of the Italian Immigrant Aid Society. He had been helping immigrants from his home town of Modugno since his arrival in Canada and continued this work after the war. Grittani also resumed his involvement in the Order Sons of Italy in the postwar period.   

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCES:

• Libero Sauro, In the Matter of the War Measures Act, and in the Matter of the Regulations Regarding Trading with the Enemy, and in the Matter of Guiseppe (Joseph) Grittani, Dominion of Canada, Province of Ontario, County of York, Toronto, 24 Jan 1941, Sauro Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 647, Internee File 3199, “Giuseppe Grittani.”
• Library and Archives Canada, Giuseppe Grittani fonds: MG30-C96.
• Lynn Grittani, granddaughter of Giuseppe Grittani. Correspondence with project staff at Columbus Centre of Toronto, May 2012.

POW #: F11
ARRESTED: July 19, 1940
RELEASED: February 22, 1941
NATURALIZED: Yes
BORN: July 27, 1899
DIED:

CAMP(S): Kingston
TOWN/CITY: Niagara Region
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Housewife; Teacher

Luisa Guagneli came to Canada in 1925 and married that same year. She and her husband, Arturo, had a 13-year-old son named Eugene William and a 5-year-old daughter. Arthur worked as a contractor. The Guagnelis lived at 1496 Robinson St. in Niagara Falls.

Beginning in 1936, Luisa Guagneli taught Italian to young children at the request of a parish priest. Her teaching was unpaid. She had been a member of the Order Sons of Italy since 1928, and she joined the women’s section of this organization once it was established. In 1940, she became the president of the women’s section.

Guagneli’s arrest left quite an impression on her son Eugene. As he recalled, “I remember standing at the door to my parents’ bedroom and one man was in there going through the drawers in the dressers and there was a statue of St. Anthony on the dresser and it started to topple over and my mother went over to grab it and he hit her, so that she couldn’t reach the statue. And I remember that shocked me. I’d never seen anything like that before. And then she just left with them. And of course everyone was very upset.” Eugene Guagneli stated that his mother was not a supporter of fascism. During the invasion of Ethiopia, she refused to donate her wedding band to the Italian government. She also turned down a trip to Italy that was subsidized by Italy’s fascist regime.

After her arrest on July 19, 1940, Guagneli was taken to the Don Jail in Toronto where she spent seven weeks before being transferred to the Kingston Prison for Women. In prison, she wrote to Reverend Libero Sauro, whom she had known when he worked in Niagara Falls, and asked for his help. The reverend promised to do what he could to get her released, but then he, too, was interned. Arturo and the children were able to visit Luisa once while she was interned at Kingston. Both Arturo and Eugene were designated as enemy aliens.

Following her release and return to Niagara Falls, Guagneli was shunned by members of the Italian Canadian community.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk

SOURCES:

• Bagnell, Kenneth. Canadese: A Portrait of the Italian Canadians. Toronto: Macmillan, 1989.
• Interview with Eugene William Guagneli. June 21, 2011. Columbus Centre Collection.
• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 671, Internee File 5047, “Luisa Guagneli.”
• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds: MG 30, E 182, Vol. 14, Letter to Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, Dec. 6, 1940.

POW #: P552
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: September 08, 1942
NATURALIZED: April 06, 1915
BORN:
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa, Fredericton
TOWN/CITY: Montreal
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Labourer, Canadian National Railways (CNR)

RELEASE NOTES: Conditional release upon undertaking Regulation 24 (Defence of Canada Regulations) and agreeing to a special undertaking

Not much is known about Domenico Gualano. At the time of his arrest he had lived in Montreal for 34 years. He was married to Assunta, and they had eight children. His name appears on a spring 1940 government list of “Members of the fascio of Canadian nationality whose examination should be ordered under Regulation 21 of the Defence of Canada Regulations.”

He was interned at Camp Petawawa on July 4, 1940. He was among the few Italian Canadian internees transferred to Camp Fredericton. It is unclear what evidence supported his continuing internment.

The Custodian of Enemy Property (CEP) maintained a file on this individual. Soon after his internment, his family faced financial hardship: “My father had been interned in an Aliens Camp … his internment had left eight dependants at home without sufficient income, as some of the children are of school age, for a month we have been trying to collect his wages which rightfully belong to his family. We are in earnest for the need of this money Sir, as we depend on it to eat, in the meantime we are facing slow starvation if something is not done for us” (Vincent Gualano, Letter to CEP, July 6, 1940).

Price Waterhouse & Co. contacted Gualano’s employers to ask that the unpaid wages be sent to his family. During this time, one of Gualano’s sons became ill and was hospitalized at Royal Victoria Hospital.

Gualano was ordered released on September 1, 1942, but the reasons are not available. Among the conditions of his release, Gualano had to report monthly to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), could not change his place of residence without first reporting to the RCMP, and could not leave Montreal “without first reporting the details and purpose of his proposed trip” to the RCMP. He might also have been required to report to police at his destination. 

Other biographical information is lacking.

Biography by Lucy Di Pietro

Do you know…
Why was Gualano held so long?
Why was he among those transferred to Fredericton?
What happened to Gualano after the war?

SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 651, Internee File 3460, “Domenico Gualano.”
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, C11-19-2-3-pt 4.
• Library and Archives Canada, RCMP: RG 18, F-3, Vol. 3563, Part 6.

POW #: P300
ARRESTED: June 10, 1940
RELEASED: August 20, 1941
NATURALIZED: 1920
BORN: July 13, 1894
DIED:

CAMP(S): Petawawa
TOWN/CITY: Niagara Region
MARITAL STATUS: Married
OCCUPATION: Foreman, D’Arcy Cropp Canning Factory

RELEASE NOTES: Had to report monthly to the authorities

Romolo Guerriero arrived in Canada in 1912 and became a citizen (a naturalized British subject) in 1920. He was married to Mary, an American-born woman of Italian background, and the couple lived with their 21-year-old daughter Caroline at 1549 Ferry St. in Niagara Falls. Their 22-year-old son Louis was married and lived with his wife at 1501 Ferry St. Both Guerriero children worked at the D’Arcy Cropp Canning Factory.

Guerriero was president of the Marconi Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy as well as the Italian Liberal Club. The evidence that led to his internment came courtesy of Special Agent 203 who characterized Guerriero as being “a strong fascist” with “a criminal look.” He was alleged to have ties to the mafia and to be the leader of an informal fascist group in Niagara Falls.

J.D. Hyndman, a judge appointed to investigate the cases against internees, interviewed Guerriero and concluded,

It would seem to me that the worst that can be said against this man is that he belonged to the Marconi Lodge of the Sons of Italy; but I find also on the file a list of members of the Lodge … amounting to about 161. If it is a very great offence to have belonged to the Lodge, then I feel that a great many more people from Niagara Falls should have been interned, which is not the case.

Guerriero’s employers also told Justice Hyndman that he would be reinstated as foreman at D’Arcy Cropp upon his release from internment.

Biography by Travis Tomchuk
 
SOURCES:

• Library and Archives Canada, Custodian of Enemy Property: RG 117, Vol. 654, Internee File 3678, “Romolo Guerriero.”
• Library and Archives Canada, J.D. Hyndman Fonds: MG 30, E182, Vol. 14, Letter from J.D. Hyndman to Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, May 13, 1941.