Z966/1/2

Hand-written diary of Barbara Moulster describing her wartime romance with Gennaro Capozzoli. The diary starts six months after the above account [Z 966/1/1] ends. Much of it seems to have been written contemporaneously, expressing the fluctuations of mood and emotion of the moment, with many evenings spent in the family living room listening to music from Milan on the wireless when Gennaro should have been elsewhere. Gennaro is often referred to as Garry, and he starts a new job as a policeman in the camp, "Carribineer Capozzoli", in January 1946. On 6th May 1946, the night before he was to be repatriated, "he just put his arms around me and started crying on my shoulder ... he made me promise not to cry or it would break his heart he promised on my Diary of Barbara Moulster cross never to forget me I waved till he was swallowed up in darkness." All the events take place in Dunstable and many locations are described including the prisoner of war camp, the Downs and Well-head. Most people are identified only by first name but a few, including Mrs Oldham and Dr Foster ("he had a long black beard and I was frightened of him"), are identified by surname. Only a very few, including Jean Tomlin and Edna [Potts], are completely identifiable. This section of the diary ends in June 1946 when Gennaro has returned to Italy and Barbara has had a "lovely letter from Garry from Teggiano". The diary resumes in August 1974 when, through Albino Volpe who was on holiday from Italy with his wife and children, the Moulster family was put in touch with Gennaro. Barbara was by this time married to John [Hurst, married 1956 at St Peter's, Dunstable] and still living in Dunstable but when she received a postcard from Gennaro from Salerno she "walked on air for the rest of the day". Gennaro was living in Battipaglia, Italy, with his wife Maria and their two sons. He and Barbara exchanged cards each Christmas and Easter and in 1976 Barbara and her husband went for a holiday to Salerno, where they met Gennaro and his family "after 30 endless years of dreams and unbearable longing". Barbara "simply adored him" still. They continued to exchange cards and occasional letters, Gennaro's being somewhat intermittent, and late in 1979 Barbara and her husband again went on holiday to Italy to renew the friendship with Gennaro and his family. Gennaro's letters ceased in 1982 and Barbara wrote, "I'm broken-hearted, I just can't bear it, but I'm afraid it looks like the end again. 'Finito ancora!!' ", but Gennaro wrote again later that year, "a lovely romantic letter full of nostalgia ". However, Gennaro's correspondence remained intermittent and the diary ends in December 1984: "I had a nice Xmas card from Garry, and Mum had one too."

1945-1984

From: 1945 To: 1984

item

2027

Moulster, Barbara,
Hurst, Barbara,
Capozzoli, Gennaro,
Oldham,
Foster,
Tomlin, Jean,
Potts, Edna,
Volpe, Albino,
Hurst, John

diaries, World War Two, prisoners of war, DUNSTABLE, Dunstable Downs, Italy