Friday,
June 27, 2008
Sinking of "Arandora
Star"- July 2, 1940 - 448 Italian Internees Drown - Annual Memorials Held
- in 5 days
The
ANNOTICO Report
June
27, 2008
In
the US, "Una Storia
Segreta" (The
Alien Restriction and Internment Laws that were put into effect vs 600,000 Italians at the beginning of WWII ) was
hidden in "Secret" vaults, until forced to open them up to US
Congressional Investigation in 1990s, and any mention by the victims was
hidden behind a veil of "shame" for having been thought of
and treated so poorly by their adopted country.
Likewise,
in
The
worst of the treatment was the shipping of Italian Internees from
While
the American government, interned many Japanese civilians during the war,
subsequently made an apology to each and every one - and made a payment of
compensation. as far as we can ascertain, no
Japanese civilians suffered loss of life resulting from internment by the
American authorities. (No compensation was ever paid to Italians or Germans who
suffered Internment or Losses/Coniscations)
Yet
in
Footnote: The HMT Dunera left
The ship had a
maximum capacity of 1,500 - including crew - and the resultant conditions have
been described as "inhumane".The transportees were also subjected to ill-treatment and theft
by the 309 poorly trained British guards on board. The 57 day voyage was also
made under the risk of enemy attack. On arrival in
The Arandora Star Campaign &nbs p; http://www.arandorastarcampaign.com/
In early June 1940,
immediately
As is shown from
the Red Cross and other reports, these internees were maltreated by the
authorities and were held in inhumane conditions, without proper
food, sanitary facilities and medical care. Following a decision to
transport a number of internees to
On the morning of
2nd July 1940, off the coast of
Even today
memorial masses are held annually by those Italian communities in
TRAGIC FACTS
446
Italian males lost their lives.
These men were civilians most of
whom had made their homes in this country in the early 1900's. Many of the
internees had sons and other relatives serving in the British Armed Forces.
The
internees had no rights whatsoever, and were denied even the basic rights
allowed to prisoners under the Geneva Convention. Many were robbed of their
valuables whilst in internment.
Relatives of the internees
were not advised what became of their husbands, brothers or fathers after
their arrest in early June 1940.
Under Government regulations families
of many of the internees living in coastal areas were forced to leave their
homes and seek refuge outwith main cities - wives
and children with no home, no means of support, and no assistance whatsoever.
Many internees were shipped
overseas with their families being unaware of the fact and receiving no
notification.
The Arandora
Star, on course to
The Arandora
Star put to sea with 80% of the crew newly signed on that morning. No
emergency drill or instruction was given either to the crew, the military
guards or to the internees.
The ship had been overpainted in battleship grey and had the
appearance of a troop carrier. It carried no Red Cross or other means of
identification.
All the lifeboats had been secured behind heavy
wire mesh. The number of lifeboats being
grossly inadequate, having been designed for the ship's maximum complement
of only 500 passengers.
The internees were harshly
treated and held in overcrowded conditions. Many of the
Italians, sleeping on the ballroom floor, being severely injured with breaking
of the large mirrors when the torpedo struck.
The survivors of the Arandora Star were again harshly treated when brought
ashore and, despite their ordeal, many were put on board other ships for
internment in
No apology or compensation
has ever been made to the Arandora Star victims.
The American government, having interned many Japanese civilians during the
war, subsequently made an apology to each and every one - and made a payment of
compensation. As far as we can ascertain, no Japanese civilians suffered loss
of life resulting from internment by the American authorities.
ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE WEB SITE :
Ancoats
Little Italy
See 'The War Years'
Book - 'Isle Of The Displaced'
An Italian-Scot's Memoirs of Internment during the Second World War by Joe Pieri
Caduti di Arandora Star
Surname listings of the Italian civilians who lost their lives on the Arandora Star
The Star of Shame
Des
Hickey and Gus Smith
Madison Publishing,
The failings of
the authorities, and the tragic events which followed
the sinking of the Arandora Star have been vividly
recorded in a book published in 1980 entitled "Star of Shame" - the
only book of the disaster based on factual accounts of many of the survivors
Italian, British and German. This book, written in English, was not available
for sale in
Arandora Star
Una Tragedia Dimenticata
Maria Serena Balestracci
In 2002, in
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives*) on:
Blog:
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Italia
Italia Mia: www.ItaliaMia.com *
Topix.net:
www.topix.net/world/italy
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net