Antonio Nicolini

An Immigrants Story and Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the End of World War II

Gentlemen,

Sixty years ago, Antonio Nicolini was a prisoner of war having been captured in Greece where he had been serving in the Italian forces commencing May 23, 1940, was mobilized and sent to the front on June 9, 1940 , demobilized and returned home to Chieti Italy along with the 14th regiment infantry on November 18, 1940. The 14th infantry was subsequently remobilized and sent with the Command Campaign of the 14th Infantry to Greece leaving Bari Italy on January 9, 1941 and arrived at Durazzo on January 10, 1941. The subject territory of the Balkans, namely, Greece and Albania were declared to be in a state of war. and he served there until he was hospitalized on May 15, 1943, subsequently released from hospital on May 31,1943 and returned to the 14th Regiment Infantry on June 1, 1943. He was captured by the Nazi forces on September 8, 1943 and transported to Germany where he was held until liberated by the American armed forces on April 23, 1945. Returned to Italy on September 1, 1945 and was discharged from the Italian armed forces on September 14, 1945.

On June 2, 1961 General Alfonso Checcia the commander of the central regional and 8th territory military command of the Republic of Italy presented to NICOLINI, Antonio born July 23, 1915 in the City of Ripateatina in the Province of Chieti, the Medal of Merit of WAR for his internment in Germany for the period of September 8, 1943 - September 1, 1945.

Following the end of the war Antonio lived with his father and step mother Bambina Marinucci in their home located at La conicella on the easterly outskirts of the town of Ripateatina in a group of houses known as Canonico. His brother, Pantaleone had been a mercenary soldier and fought in the Franco Spanish civil war and subsequently found himself in Belgium where he worked in a coal mine and acquired some skill in mechanical equipment repairs. He married Lona Lemal, a Belgian national and they had a child Rita who was born in Germany on February 6, 1944. They subsequently returned to Italy for a short while and decided to immigrate to Canada in the early part of the 1950's. On October 31, 1953 Antonio sponsored by his brother. Pantaleone, arrived in Halifax and became a landed immigrant in Canada. Within 13 months he was reunited with his wife, Assunta and two children, Luigi born January 22, 1950 and Pietro Lorenzo born June 29, 1952, arriving in Halifax on December 19, 1954 aboard the Conte Biancamano following a seven day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The family reunited and started a new life in Toronto Ontario Canada spending the first Christmas of 1954 at the home of brother Panteleone and sister in law , Lona.

Fifty years later on December 19, 2004, Gino Luigi NICOLINI, accompanied by his wife Christine returned to Pier 21 for the first time since first landing in Canada. The visit to Pier 21 was a moving primary experience for me as I did not have any vivid recollection of that first arrival back in 1954.

This year, 2005, being the Year of the Veteran, and the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, brings me to make this small account of my father NICOLINI, Antonio , an immigrant lavoratore, as noted on his Italian passport, who sought a better life for his family than that which he had inherited and following the vast devastation resulting from the Second World War of his home and country decided to venture to a completely unknown world with no knowledge of the English language nor Educational privilege with only the hope that in his newly adopted country he could find work to support himself and his family and perhaps some day have the ability to own a small home and live in freedom without the fear of oppression and indebtedness to anyone. This was his dream that he had for himself and his family. This dream of his became reality thanks to the sacrifices made by countless believers in Freedom many of whom were Canadians who perished in small villages throughout Europe and those 1600 young men and women particularly in Italy in a small town just 10 km from Ripateatina called ORTONA.

This is a small tribute to them all and their families to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. For if it was not for those sacrifices made 60 years ago by those brave souls, that dream that my father was able to have for his family might not have been at all.

Yours truly, NICOLINI and Associates Gino L. Nicolini P.Eng.