Z1205/250

Male. Italian immigrant. Teacher & community worker. b. 21.08.1934 Side A (00 mins)Born in Lacedonia in a small village south of Naples. (05 mins)There was a teachers training college in the village for primary school teachers. State examination for prospective teachers. (10 mins)Farm more qualified teachers than jobs. Those who wished to teach at secondary schools then went on to university. (15 mins)Agricultural area with few jobs. Small holders rather than large landowners. (20 mins)Corn crops and milling. (25 mins)Remembers the German occupation of the village during the Second World War and Mussolini's black-shirted fascists. Catholic Association for youngsters. Saw nearby areas being bombed and being frightened during air raids. (30 mins)Retreating Germans held siege to the village. They took his uncle's car. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)American troops arrived after German departure. Bread locked in a cupboard, because of shortages. Father was a prisoner of war. (10 mins)During Mussolini's rule, Father had gone to Eritrea to help colonise the area with Italians. Mother and two children remained. Mother extremely religious. (15 mins)He was sent to a junior seminary to be trained as a priest, when he was 11. Corporal punishment from priests. Started showing an interest in girls and decided the priesthood wasn't for him. (25 mins)Enrolled for teacher training, 3 years behind others. Excelled at sport. (30 mins)Girls then didn't have the freedom of today. Most were chaperoned (accompanied by an adult) when meeting with young men. (32 mins)End of Side B.CONTINUED ON CS250C2 Side A (00 mins)His sister got her teacher training qualification and married an American man. His parents had two more children after the war. (05 mins)After teacher training her went to university in Naples for 3 years. A friend arranged for him to get work in England to improve his English. (10 mins)Travelled by train to Calais and then by boat to Dover. (1960) (15 mins)Worked as orderly in hospital in Worcester. (20 mins)Applied to be a student nurse. Met wife-to-be, who was also a nurse. Married. Father and mother died. Decided to stay in England and applied to do teacher training here - 3-year course - in London. Side B (00 mins)First teaching post in West Drayton. A friend told him about the large Italian population in Bedford. Applied for teaching post here. (05 mins)Got job at Goldington Primary School. Also taught Italian for the Italian School - classes paid for by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (10 mins)He didn't feel that the Italians in Bedford received much help from the Italian organisations already there - Vice Consul, an Italian Club and Catholic Mission. He wanted to help the Italian community. (15 mins)He founded the Italian Christian Workers Association (ACLI) allied to an organisation in Italy. (20 mins)He was President. A welfare department started. (25 mins)Rented a County Council property for the Association. Developed youth activities. Set up vocational education al courses. (30 mins)Funding gained from Italian government ministries and European Economic Community. (32 mins)End of Side B.CONTINUED ON CS250C3 (00 mins) ACLI enabled government funds to be channelled from Italy for educational and social activities. Italian youth club. (05 mins)He liased with Mander (now Bedford) College to enable Italian immigrants to obtain both Italian as well as English qualifications for about 30 vocational courses. They studied the theoretical aspects at ACLI, 69 Union Street, Bedford and the practical aspects at Mander College. This would enable them to return to Italy, if they wished, with qualifications recognised by the Italian government as well as British City and Guilds certificates. He also organised evening courses and became a full-qualified teacher with the Italian authorities. (10 mins)He became the General Director of the Vocational education in Great Britain for Italians. (15 mins)He founded the Italian Society with the aim of bringing the English and Italian communities in Bedford together. ACLI then began to be infiltrated and taken over by political parties. He resigned. Power was then transferred to London with only the welfare department left in Bedford. (20 mins)He returned to the English school system and taught in a middle school and became Head of Department. EEC funding was obtained for teaching English as a Second Language to immigrant Italians. He helped organise exchange visits between Italian cities such as Arezzo and Rome and Bedfordshire upper schools. (25 mins)He advised the Borough Council regarding establishing a twinning arrangement between Bedford and Arezzo in northern Italy. He arranged exchange visits between Sandy upper school and Italy. After leaving ACLI in 1985 he set up football teams for young Italians in Bedford. Eventually there were 15 football teams, covering the ages of 8 up to adults. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)His life has been a passionate commitment to helping as many people as others. He has tended to be single-minded and has tried to carry others along with him. He feels that the Catholic Mission has failed to look after the Italian community in Bedford. (05 mins)An Italian pre-school nursery is till run by the Italian mission church, Francesca Cabrini, in Bedford, open to all nationalities. He laments the fact that the second and third generation Italians in Bedford know little about their parents' homeland. The only feel Italian when Italy plays football against another country. There is still a small coffee bar in Bedford where first generation Italian men meet. (15 mins)He feels that the feeling of unity that Italians first had when they came to Bedfordshire in the fifties and sixties if now lost. The twinning with Arezzo has not been successful. (20 mins)Still has a vision of a large community centre based around football pitch provision but serving primarily the Italian community in Bedford. Now he has done his bit, he will look after his grandchildren and leave it to the next generation. (26 mins)End of Side B Original Interview 180 mins.

9 December 2003

From: 1930 To: 2003

item

Mussolini,
Italian Christian Workers Association

teacher, community worker, immigration, University, AGRICULTURE, World War Two, German Army, Air Raid Precautions, American Army, prisoners of war, rationing, punishment, Roman catholic priests, LANGUAGE, nurse, Goldington School, welfare, EDUCATION, Bedford Mander College, football clubs, Roman Catholic buildings, Naples, Lacedonia, Italy, Eritrea, Worcester, West Drayton, Arezzo