Rando Nilo Bertoia
1920-2013
Montereale Valcellina

Rando Nilo Bertoia, who has died aged 93, was the last Italian survivor of the Arandora Star, the ship that was torpedoed by a German U boat in 1940 with 712 Italian internees aboard. His passing marks the closing of an era. He was one of the last physical manifestation of the sinking; the custodian of the living memory.

He was born in Montereale Valcellina, in the province of Pordenone, Friuli, Italy. Following in the footsteps of the famous terrazzo and mosaic workers, all of whom came from Pordenone, his father, Ermenegildo, emigrated in 1914 having been called to work for the Toffolo family, who were already established in Glasgow.

Rando grew up in Glasgow, attending Abbotsford School and later joined his father, working in terrazzo for Toffolo, later Toffolo Jackson.

On June 2, 1940, at 4 am, Rando and his father were arrested as enemy aliens, under Churchill's "Collar the Lot" edict. They were taken to Maryhill Barracks and then to Milton Bridge Camp near Edinburgh and from there to the disused Warth Mills, in Lancashire, the collecting point for Italians from all over Britain. Embarked onto the Arandora Star, Rando was one of 266 Italians rescued after the boat was torpedoed. 200 of these were considered fit enough to be transported once again to Liverpool. As a survivor, Rando was subsequently despatched on July 10 aboard the Dunera, heading for Australia, via stops at Freetown, Sierra Leone, Takoradi, Ghana and at Cape Town, a voyage of 55 days under the most appalling conditions and harrowing brutality.

Life in the internment camps near both Melbourne and Adelaide was relatively pleasant however, and for the young Rando gave him an opportunity to take classes in Italian, wood-working and drawing. It was during his time imprisoned mostly at Tatura camp, near Melbourne, he indulged his passion for mechanical things and acquired watch making skills.

From 1943, the Italians were able to leave the camps on a daily basis and, in Adelaide, Mr Bertoia found work with a terrazzo firm from his region of Italy. On returning to Glasgow in 1946 aboard the Mauretania, he put the training gained in Australia to good use and, along with his younger, Scottish-born brother, Oriente, opened a watch and jewellery business on Victoria Road in Glasgow. The family ran the business for over half a century, with Rando still working well into his 80s.

Rando Bertoia was for many years the last Italian survivor of the Arandora Star and he played his part with great dignity, in Scotland, England and in Italy. His own reconciliatory and peaceful nature made him the perfect ambassador. A quiet, gentle man, he was always willing nonetheless to be present at Italian and Scottish events and be interviewed whenever asked.

Rando Bertoia died on October 11^th, 2013, as he had lived, quietly and with no trouble to anyone. He will be missed by many not least by those who understood and valued his quiet testament to the history of the Italian presence in this country. Rando, who lived in the Gorbals, died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. His daughter Gilda Bertoia said:

“We’re all devastated by the news. It was very sudden and all happened so fast.
For a 93-year-old man, he was in pretty good health so it was a shock that he died of a heart attack. Dad had a remarkable life and he never spoke about the disaster until the last few years. It was obviously very emotional for him.”

On the 70^th anniversary of the disaster in 2010, Rando recalled how he watched the ship sink from a lifeboat.

“I could see all the wee heads bobbing up and down, and saw the ship going down – a terrible sight.”

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