Pasquale Pacitti
1889-1942
Cerasuolo

Pasquale emigrated to Scotland around 1912. He married his first wife, Maria Grazia Coia in 1914. Pasquale was described as a mosaic worker whilst Maria Grazia was a confectioner. Maria Grazia died at Glasgow in June 1916; they had one daughter Angelina. He subsequently married Clementina Coia in 1920 and they had twin children: Elena and Ronaldo

The first reference to Pasquale's fate was in "The Motherwell Times" of Friday 19 July 1940.

Three Brothers' Fate
It is now learned that Camillo Pacitti, Italian at Carfin, who lost his life the Arandora Star disaster, was one three brothers aboard. One was saved (Pasquale), another drowned (Carmine aka Camillo), and the third (Alfonso) is missing. It is also feared that two Italians from Bellshill are among the missing.

However, whilst searching online at the National Archives site for material to do with the Isle of Man and Internment, I came across these records:

The name, date and location of birth together confirmed that this Pasquale was indeed Alfonso’s younger brother. The record indicates that he had been shipped out to Australia - another foreign internment location used by the British during WWII.

I was now able to start to fill in the gaps. Pasquale was embarked on the Arandora Star and had been rescued. Along with hundreds of other rescued internees, he was promptly dispatched to Australia, and chillingly, on the infamous SS Dunera. My next port of call was the Australian National Archives site - much more free with information than the UK equivalent site. I quickly uncovered this third record:

This was Pasquale’s Australian Internee Service Record. An extract of key information is provided below.

Date of Capture:   11.6.40      Place of Capture:   London    Date of Birth:   5-7-89
Trade:   Terrazzo Worker    Nationality:   Italian
Next of Kin:   Clementina Pacitti    Address:    317 Kensal Road, Westbourne Park

Reports

Date	location	Record
3.09.40	SS Dunera	Transferred from England to Melbourne
3.09.40	DROSND	Admitted Broadmeadows Hospital ex Dunera
3.09.40	3 DRO	Marched in to Tatura ex hospital
9.12.41	C C Tatura	Transferred to Loveday
10.12.41	CC Loveday	Marched in ex Tatura
6.6.42	CC Loveday	Deceased Loveday. Buried Barmera section G, Plot 48N Grave marked with name

Broadmeadows Hospital was the site of 20th Australian Camp Hospital situated in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Tatura Camp was situated some 180 km north of Melbourne.

Loveday Camp 9 (also known as Italian Internee Camp No. 9) was one of three main prisoner of war and internee camps, located in South Australia's Riverland, approximately 220 kilometres east of Adelaide. This camp could hold up to 1000 people, detaining Italian civilian internees, and later Italian prisoners of war.

After disembarking at Melbourne, Pasquale spent some five weeks in hospital at Broadmeadows before being sent to Tatura Camp where he remained for a further thirteen months. Pasquale was subsequently transferred to Loveday Camp where he died some six months later and was buried at the camp in June 1942. Perversely, he was authorised to return to the UK in February 1942 to appear before the I.A.C - presumably a tribunal to review his ongoing internment. He never made the journey - another sad chapter of the war time tragedies that befell the Pacitti family - three brothers perished.

In 1961, Pasquale's remains, along with those of the other 124 Italian PoWs and Internees who died while in captivity in Australia, were transferred to the Italian National Ossario at Murchison. You can find details of the Ossario here .

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