Dalmahoy

123 German Camp

Prisoner of War Camp

 

Recollection

1.

Livia Fascia

Naples, Italy

Thank you to Livia Fascia who wrote:

Private Mario Tozzi

"I recently came into these old documents belonging to my grandfather, Private Mario Tozzi.

-  He  was born in 1922 in Lucera (Foggia), Southern Italy.

-  He served in the Italian Army.

-  He was held prisoner at Dalmahoy 123 German Camp.

-  He was sent back home after being diagnosed with TB, and died in 1946.

We don't know very much about him, since he was very young and was already at the front when my mother was born in 1942.  My mother never met him.  All we have is the documents below.  As a family, we'd like, very much, to learn more about him.

Documents

Here are the documents:

1. My grandfather's Identity Document.  Perhaps somebody will recognise him from his photo and will get in touch.

Identity Document

Mario Tozzi's Identity Document  -  Used at Prisoner of War Camp, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh  -  Pages 1+4

©  Reproduced with acknowledgement to Mario Torri's granddaughter

 

Mario Tozzi's Identity Document  -  Used at Prisoner of War Camp, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh  -  Pages 2 + 3

©  Reproduced with acknowledgement to Mario Torri's granddaughter

 

2. A letter from his close friend, Private P D Norton, sent to my grandfather soon after he was sent home from the Dalmahoy Camp.

We'd like to make contact with P D Norton (if he is still living!) or any of his his family. They may be able to help us in shaping the memory of our grandfather."

Livia Fascia, Naples, Italy,  August 30, 2014

P D Norton's Letter
followed by a transcription of the letter

Notes

(a)  Note the 'National Patriotic Fund Board, New Zealand' logo in the top-left corner of this letter.  Examples of the work of this organization on behalf of New Zealand Armed Forces can be found on this National Patriotic Fund Board, 1941 page.

(b)  This letter was sent from the Prisoner of War Camp at Dalmahoy almost a year after VE Day, commemorating the end of World War 2 in Europe.

(c)  The letter has been repaired with sellotape some time ago.  Most, but not all, of the writing is still legible.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  September 6, 2014

Page 1

Letter  -  Sent in 1946 to Italy from Prisoner of War Camp, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh  -  Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

©  Letter (4 pages):  Reproduced with acknowledgement to Mario Torri's granddaughter

P D Norton's Letter

Transcription

  NATIONAL PATRIOTIC                    ON ACTIVE SERVICE

     FUND BOARD                                                                                        DATE:    4/5/46

    NEW ZEALAND                                                                 Pte. P D Norton, 97002092

    123 German P W W Camp

    Dalmahoy Camp

    Kirknewton

    Midlothian

Carissimo (Dearest) Tozzi.

You may be thinking I am a long time writing to you.  I was waiting to see if we might have a card from you telling us of your arrival in Italy.  But I expect that you have much to do and think about with your wife in hospital and little daughter to look after at home.

A card arrived the other day from Sangiorgi at Faenza addressed  to Sgt. Baldwin so that the last lot of our Italians is [page 2] now in its native country.

All civilians now, and here am I at Dalmahoy, still not liberated.  However, July will soon be here and I expect to go out of the Army early in that month.  Sgt. Lowry going out the same time.  S/Sgt. Motici goes out soon and goes to Sicily for some time.  I don't know just when he goes or for how long.

You know of course that we have all Germans here but this has not made much difference apart from missing you very much.

We have two German clerks in the office but they don't do much and spend most of the day learning English.  But they do not know enough to speak on the telephone [page 3] , so they do no "Duty clerk" at all.  -  You know much too much English to be excused that.  The Germans do not know so much English as I thought they would - on the whole.  I don't think they know as much as you Italians did.

I wonder if you have met Cafiero at all.  If you meet or write to him, please give him please give him my best wishes.  I have not asked you how your wife and little girl are, but I do hope they are going on well.  I wonder if you passed through the Customs with that smart suit which you were wearing ! and were not mistaken for a British soldier [page 4] and refused a passage!

It is lovely weather here now .... lambs are skipping around the golf course & everything looks so fresh and green, a big difference from the weather when you left us.

The ginger cat can no longer be used to put the Commandant in a good mood.  The poor sleepy thing put its foot into a rat. trap and after limping about for a few more days, mysteriously disappeared so can no more be seen sitting in the Commandant's in-tray.  We have no animals here at all now.

I hope you have enough "mangare".  -  our rations are "semper diminuendo" but are sufficient.  This letter brings all the Best Wishes from

             Monsieur Morton

Acknowledgements

Thank you to:

-  Carol Stubbs, Edinburgh, for assisting with my original transcription of the letter above.

- Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England, for deciphering 5  words.  Laurie added "This is an interesting thread.  I hope it generates responses". 
(I
hope so, too!)

-  Gordon Davie, Abbeyhill, for deciphering 5 words: 3 agree with Laurie above + 2 others.

Finding the Missing Words

Commenting on one of the unidentified words, Gordon wrote:

"Glad to help!  I've been looking at Page 2 of the letter again, and at  the missing word in the sentence: 'S/Sgt. Motici goes out soon and goes to .... for some time'.

The word seems to start with an S (compare with the first letter of 'Sgt Lowry' a couple of lines above) and ends in -ly.   There are two or three letters in between and entering all of that into a crossword solver it came back with Sicily.  Given that we are talking about Italian POWs, I feel this must be it!"

Gordon Davie:  Abbeyhill, Edinburgh:  September 8, 2014

That leaves just 1 word in the letter, still to be identified.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  September 6 + 7, 2014

Reply to Livia?

If you'd like to respond to the documents that Livia has provided, or to any of her comments above, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on her email address to you.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  September 6, 2014

 

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