Browse Items (3805 total)
- Temporal Coverage starts with "1943"
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Interview with Renato Cardarelli
Renato Cardarelli (b. 1923) remembers his youth as an altar boy and then sexton at the church of San Paolo in Rome. He mentions his decision to enter the seminary at 18, where he spent two years, and explains how he was deemed temporarily unfit for…
Interview with Aldo Magnaghi
Aldo Magnaghi (b. 1927) remembers the bombings of Milan and explains how his house was not directly hit but rather heavily damaged by blast waves. He describes phosphorus loaded incendiaries, their effects on wooden structures, and how civilians…
Mrs Barfoot
Head and shoulders portrait of Mrs Barfoot in Women’s Auxiliary Air Force uniform at Brandon.
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in…
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in…
William Barfoot’s wedding
A wedding group is standing in front of a wall at Brandon; a man on the left wears civilian clothes, William Barfoot stands arm-in-arm with his wife and a bridesmaid. Both ladies are wearing wedding dresses with hats and holding bouquets.
The…
The…
Mrs Barfoot in her wedding dress
Mrs Barfoot in her wedding dress is standing in front of a building at Brandon, holding a bouquet.
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in…
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in…
William Barfoot’s wedding
William Barfoot in dress uniform with observer brevet standing arm-in-arm with his wife in wedding dress in front of a brick wall.
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the…
The description of this item is partially based on information provided by the donor. This item was sent to the…
William Barfoot’s wedding
Wedding group photograph of eight people standing in front of a wall. William Barfoot, is in dress uniform with observer brevet, is standing in the middle hand in hand with his new wife who is wearing her wedding dress. A bridesmaid, a man in a suit,…
Interview with Efrem Colombi
Efrem Colombi recalls his care-free childhood, initially in the Bergamo countryside and then in Milan. Emphasises his life-long radical anti-Clericalism and recounts how he ran away several times from Catholic boarding schools because of his…
Interview with Vittorio Finauri
Vittorio Finauri (b. 1931) remembers the first bombing of Foligno on 22 November 1943. Explains that it was completely unexpected and people were caught unprepared, so bombs aimed at nearby barracks resulted in a heavy death toll. Describes how some…
Interview with Francesco and Maria Gigliola Rapozzi
Francesco and Maria Gigliola Rapozzi remember wartime life in Monfalcone. They recollect the day the shipyard was engulfed in flames after a severe bombing raid and mentions the high number of casualties among civilians. They remember various…
Letter to the family of the late David Boldy from the Air Ministry
Letter from director of accounts at the Air Ministry regarding disbursements to the family of the late Flight Sergeant David Boldy.
Interview with Pietro Cosma
Pietro Cosma (b. 1927) remembers the bombings of Milan and recollects two wartime anecdotes: the execution of a man in front of his home and Benito Mussolini’s corpse on public display in Piazzale Loreto. Describes wartime hardships: losses; food…
Interview with Gualtiero Silvio Cosolo
Gualtiero Silvio Cosolo recalls attending the Ceriani vocational school in Monfalcone, at this time the air raid siren went off every day and the children would run to the nearest shelter. Describes the 7 March 1944 bombing and the gruesome sight of…
Interview with Adriana Ventriglia
Adriana Ventriglia remembers the bombings of Milan. She provides details about her evacuee life in the Lodi countryside and describes how her father was injured in a train strafing. Mentions her early life in a mixed family, the impact on…
Interview with Guido Dell’Era
Guido Dell’Era recollects daily life in wartime Milan, stressing inadequate war preparation. Describes a disciplined, regimented society which later turned to disillusionment. Recollects the declaration of war, the fall of the fascist regime and…
Interview with Maurizio Ghiretti
Maurizio Ghiretti describes his early life at Monticelli Terme, a small town near Parma. He remembers various episodes of wartime hardships: food shortages, a tree taken down at night for firewood, men hiding in concealed rooms to avoid roundups, and…
Interview with Paolo Racugno
Paolo Racugno (b. 1917), recollects the February 1943 Cagliari bombing. Mentions scenes of destruction with wounded civilians and describes how he used his coat to protect two girls from falling debris.
Interview with Marialuigia Buffadossi
Marialuigia Buffadossi remembers her wartime life in the Lombardy region. Born in a low-class neighbourhood with poor-quality housing, she first worked as shorthand clerk for a solicitor, and then was employed by a major bank. Remembers her…
Letter from L J Goddard to A D Boldy
Letter from L J Goddard, rector of St. Paul’s School, Jalapahar, to A D Boldy, the father of David and Stephen, two ex-pupils of the school. The letter is in response to a letter sent by Mr Boldy to the school, giving news of the two men, including…
Interview with Annunciata Buffadossi
Annunciata Buffadossi recollects her wartime life in Milan. Annunciata stresses poor-quality housing in a low-class neighbourhood close to potential targets; emphasises how much she feared Germans and Fascists; and speaks with affection of her old…
Interview with Anna Maria Serafini
Anna Maria Serafini recalls her teenage life in Bologna as the fiancée of Luigi Pasetti, a civilian pilot later enlisted as torpedo bomber pilot. Describes how she got married and mentions Italian First World War pilot, Ferruccio Ranza, who acted as…
Interview with Adriano Landini
Adriano Landini (b. 1930) recalls his childhood living in the poor Santa Croce neighbourhood in Reggio Emilia. Describes the profound sense of solidarity in wartime, stressing the community spirit among the so-called "popol giost" (the salt of the…
Interview with Sara Ventriglia
Sara Ventriglia, the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Catholic father, recalls her early life in wartime Milan. She describes the alarm being sounded, she and her family getting quickly dressed to reach a nearby shelter. She recollects moments…
Interview with Pietro Varesi
Pietro Varesi describes wartime life in Pavia, focussing on the Borgo neighbourhood. He mentions the Ticino bridges as primary targets for bombers; recalls bent shop shutters and debris on the streets; stresses the limited accuracy of bombing and the…
Kitchen staff at RAF Skellingthorpe
In front of a building, ten women are standing outside a building while a man, in the middle, is sitting. All are in work clothing, three women wear collar and ties. On the reverse 'SKELLINGTHORPE COOKHOUSE STAFF 1942-43 (10)'.