Casa, Paul, 1903-2001 : Papers relating to his internment on Somes Island
Casa, Paul, 1903-2001 : Papers relating to his internment on Somes Island
Category: Other
| Title | Casa, Paul, 1903-2001 : Papers relating to his internment on Somes Island |
|---|---|
| Publication | Donated by Mr H Gargiulo, Island Bay, Wellington, Feb 2003 |
| Language | English, some in Italian |
| Format | 3 folders with: personal correspondence, clippings, newsletters, certificates, manuscripts, typescripts and printed matter |
| Geographic reference | Somes Island, Nelson, Wellington Harbour |
| Time reference | 1940s (also 2001, Casa's funeral programme) |
| Online resource | NO, except the 1941 letter from Paolo Casa to Lieutenant Greig, Commandant Somes Island |
| Topic | Somes Island, Italian prisoners of war, WWII, Paolo Casa, Documents, letters, |
Papers available from the National Library of New Zealand. These comprises inward and outward correspondence relating to Casa's internment on Somes Island, documents relating to this, notices served to detainees etc; newsletters in Italian for the Italian detainees; and clippings relating to World War Two and later Somes Island associations.
Paolo (Paul) Casa (1903-2001) was one of the 38 Italians who were imprisoned on Somes Island in Wellington Harbour, along with Germans and Japanese. In La presenza italiana in Nuova Zelanda (1875-1950) Riccardo Ponti writes: "Paolo Casa, who emigrated from Massa Lubrense in 1927, had driven a car from Nelson to Greymouth on the West Coast in 1939 for business reasons. When, after three months of absence, he returned to Nelson, he was arrested for breaking the rules, having traveled more than twenty miles without first notifying the police. He was interned with others in Somes Island, where he became the leader of the Italian internees because he spoke excellent English. He therefore made sure that everyone received adequate treatment as prisoners of war: << We were not treated like animals. I had a copy of the Geneva Convention and I made sure that everything that happened conformed to this >>."
The first folder available in the archives of the National Library is Letter from Paolo Casa to Lieutenant Greig, Commandant Somes Island is a carbon copy of typescript letter dated 3 Nov 1941 which can be read online written by Casa to describe the situation in the internment camp and request cubicals for privacy, especially for the older interns, a sink with water for the kitchen and light (to read at night). Sections of the letter have been cut away at the edges, but the document is still readable (click here). You can also find the letter and some information about Paolo Casa on The Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealanda.
The second folder, Italian circulars and periodical contain duplicated circulars in Italian from Brigadier Weir and a copy of Italian periodical La Civiltà Cattolica (anno 93, v3, 1 Aug 1942, quaderno 2211).
The third folder, Clippings, and programmes for funeral and memorial services contains newspaper articles about Somes Island and Paul Casa, also funeral service for Casa (2001) and order of service for the blessing of a memorial dedicated to the Italian internees on Somes Island.
More info about the internment of Italian men on Somes Island can be found here:
La presenza italiana in Nuova Zelanda (1875-1950)
Papa's Island
The Italian Community
Prisoners of War
Memorial to Italian Internees on Somes/Matiu Island in WWII
More info about Paolo Casa can be found in the book Pasta, Prayer & Promise, the story of Nelson's Italian Community 1860-2014 and in the article New book explores Nelson's Italian history.
