226420 Bmbdr. William Douglas Telfer "Mac" McIntosh British Army 6th Anti Aircraft Regiment, 1st Searchlight Bty. Royal Artillery from:Southampton In 1943, Lance Bombardier William Douglas Telfer McIntosh, of the 1st Search Light Battery, 6th Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Dad) was a Prisoner of War in Campo 78, Fonte d’Amore, Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy.
He had been captured on 8th of April 1941 whilst on the African desert and was transported to Italy where he was incarcerated in Campo 78, Fonte d’Amore near Sulmona, Abruzzo Italy for two years.
Some time in this year he developed a kidney stone to his right kidney. He became very unwell, the doctor of Campo 78 at that time was a Dr Torinto Sciuba. He made sure that Dad was taken to the Hospital (L’Annunziata) in the main street of Sulmona for the removal of that stone by an Italian surgeon. The building is now a museum, tourist information office and church.
The hospital at that time was run by nuns. Dad was gravely ill and weighed only about 6 stone. He was on the first floor of the hospital in a room on his own. He should not have been kept in there for long. It was not for prisoners of war, but because he was so very ill he couldn’t go back to Campo 78.
Maria Ginnetti worked in the laundry room at the hospital at that time and her daughter Paola used to go with her mother to help. Paola was 16 or 17 years of age at that time. She had been married and was already widowed. Her husband being killed in the war. I don’t know how or where.
Paola and her mother used to share their food with Dad, bringing it into the hospital to try and build him up. Dad always said that he was visited by a very nice young Italian girl. There wasn’t much food for anyone in those days, so it was a very generous act by these two women.
When there was a patrol by the Germans in the hospital area, Maria and Paola used to hide Dad under his bed, or in a wardrobe until the danger had passed. These two women were very brave and put their lives at risk by helping Dad. Paola did not know what had happened to Dad. One day he wasn’t there.
She didn’t know that he had been taken to Germany and spent two years as a POW there in Stalag X1A, Magdeburg. Dad didn’t speak of this time. Only saying that the Germans were "a little less kind than the Italians".
Paola was very pleased to know that Dad had survived the hard times he had endured. I told her just how ill he had been and on his arrival in Germany spent some time in a hospital there. I don’t know how long. I also told her that on his return to England he met Mum (Phyllis) in Hospital in Manchester in 1945 and later that year they were married and that Dad, in 1946, developed TB and spent a good deal of time in a sanatorium near Eastleigh in Hampshire.
Paola married again, a man called Pasquale. She had two daughters, Rossella and Angela. What a coincidence, my own sister being Angela. Her daughter Rossella Di Iorio, has one daughter called Fabrizia Presutti. Rossella’s husband is Claudio Presutti and they live in Sulmona.
Her other daughter Angela is married to Alberto Ginnetti, a coincidence about the same surname, they have two sons, and live in Rome.
Alberto speaks very good English, this is how I have gleaned so much information. On Tuesday 29 August 2006 my husband and I went to the Europa Park Hotel, Sulmona to meet with Alberto, Angela, Rossella and Fabrizia. We needed to meet on mutual ground as neither side knew if the other were genuine or not. Alberto told me that Paola had remembered that the English man in hospital was called William. We eventually established that we were speaking about the same man.
Alberto invited Jerry and me to Paola’s apartment to talk about the time in 1942/43. Paola is a lovely gentle lady, as are all her family. She was widowed about 7 years ago. She was 80 years old on 25 August 2006. She showed us photographs of her when she was young. When we showed her the photograph of Dad taken in Campo 78 she immediately recognised him and remarked that I was very like him to look at.
Dad didn’t actually ever stay with Maria and Paola at Via Roma 15, Sulmona, the address they were living at during that time. The help they gave was at the hospital only. Having now made contact it is my intention to stay in touch with the whole family.
I hope, one day, if her English is good enough, that Fabrizia may be granted a bursary and come to England.
My Dad served Overseas with the
British Expeditionary Force from the 14th of September 1939 to 13th of June 1940, in Egypt from 23rd of July 1940 to 7th of April 1941
and was in Italy as a PoW from 8 April 1941 to 13th June 1944
the in Germany (PoW) from 14th of June 1944 to 25th of April 1945.
His
Military Conduct is listed as Exemplary and his
Testimonial reads:
"A good type of man. Thoroughly honest, sober and reliable. He has been a POW in Italy and Germany for years and in spite of the experiences he has gone through he has returned with morale high."
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