Sean's been at it again!
He's done another wonderful map of Mindo's travels, using a the list of Italian cities Armand jotted down in his notebook. This time we follow him from North Africa to Italy. We see his route on the Duchess of Bedford, his landing in Paestum, and his journey from there all the way to Anzio. Click on the map to see a detailed list of his stops. As you can see from Armand's notes below, the last stop during his time in Italy was at a place called "Campo Morto". Death camp. Does anyone have memories of Armand speaking about this? Dad? John? Also, you'll see on the map and in his notes that he visited Piedimonte D'Alife. Does anyone remember if he connected with family there? Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories!
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In one of Armand's small notebooks I found this little note. It lists the ship he boarded to get from Oran in Algeria to Italy in September of 1943. Sean did some digging and not only found a picture of the ship, but also a detailed log of Cpl. Raymond G. Fisher, who happened to be on the same exact voyage as Armand! I found these entries to be so fascinating. We now have an idea what that voyage was like for Armand and the other men on their way to fight in Italy. Please find a link to this log by clicking here. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! DUCHESS OF BEDFORD / EMPRESS OF FRANCE 1928 She was built by John Brown & Co Ltd, Glasgow in 1928 for Canadian Pacific SS Ltd. She was a 20,123 gross ton ship, length 601ft x beam 75.2ft, two funnels, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 18 knots. There was passenger accommodation for 580-cabin, 480-tourist and 510-3rd class. The Duchess of Bedford, called "the most bombed ship still afloat", was a very lucky ship. During World War II, she sank a U-boat, damaged another, was shot at and bombed on a number of occassions, and once struck an iceberg without sustaining damage. It's possible that these religious cards are just that, tiny sweet little devotions. But since they have survived all these years amongst the treasured photographs and documents that Armand kept close to him, I tend to think that at one time they might have had special significance.
These small cards (about the height of my thumb) which were printed in Italy, may have been mass remembrance cards or simply mementos from a church or gift shop. Whatever their story, I thought it might be nice for you all to see them. Please let me know if they spark a memory for you! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! The SNET Building as it stands today in New Haven. This was where many of the Santomasso women worked through the years, but it seems that none had a career as long and as dedicated at SNET as Rose. Today, it seems that if you are at one job for 5 years it is considered a "long time". The plaque below, celebrating Rose's 48 years and 2 months of service was well deserved. Please feel free to share your memories of Rose, and memories you may have if you worked at SNET. Thanks Idie for the snapshots and the plaque!
Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! |