Who Do You Think You Are - Tamzin Outhwaite 21st Aug

[kiterunner]

9 pm on BBC1.

[kiterunner]

Episode synopsis:

Tamzin Outhwaite's mother Anna Santi was born in Clapton, London, and Tamzin's father was born in Hackney. Anna's father Remo Santi was of Italian origin, and Tamzin set out to find out more about her Italian ancestry. Anna showed her where Antonio and Antonietta Gonnella, the parents of Tamzin's grandmother Lina opened a café called Tony's in the 1930's, at 94 Commercial Road.

Tamzin went to visit her grandmother Lina, now aged 83, who showed her Remo's birth certificate. He was born on the 2nd Sep 1924 at Bishop Auckland, County Durham, the son of Adelmo and Maria Santi. Adelmo's occupation was shown as ice cream vendor.


Lina said that Adelmo and Maria came over to England in the early 1920's, bringing their eldest son Peter who was born in Italy. Adelmo and Peter were interned in a camp on the Isle of Man during WW2 as they were classed as enemy aliens.

Tamzin went to the Isle of Man and was shown the records of the Palace Camp, which listed Santi A and P from 12 Chaytor Terrace, Fishburn, Stockon-on-Tees, Co Durham. Some of the boarding houses which were used for the camp are still standing, and Tamzin had a look at one of them, the Rutland Hotel. She was shown a newspaper story which said that a fascist minority were dominant in the camp.

The camp records showed that Adelmo was recommended for release on the 8th of May 1941, but that Peter was not recommended for release at that time as he refused to volunteer for the Pioneer Corps. He was released a few months later. The records said that Adelmo was born on the 2nd May 1896 at Barga, Italy, and first came to Britain in 1913. His only relative in Italy was his father, and he (Adelmo) had five younger children who were born in England. Peter was born in Barga on the 10th Dec 1921 and came to England at the age of 11 months.


Tamzin went to Barga in Tuscany. The Town Hall holds the BMD records, and Adelmo's birth certificate showed that he was born on the 5th May 1896. His full name was Adelmo Alfredo Nello Santi, and his father was Giuseppe Santi, a farmer. The records of those born in Italy but living abroad during WW1 showed that Adelmo was called up to serve in the Italian army in 1916 via the Italian consulate in Glasgow, and that his family lived at no 2, Carpisecchio, near Barga. Tamzin went there to look at the farm house, and then to Glasgow where she learned about the Italian ice cream trade.

Adelmo moved to Fishburn in the 1920's and opened an ice cream shop called Santi's at 12 Chaytor Terrace. Tamzin visited the building and met a local man who knew the family and told her that Adelmo, known as Arthur, was the richest man in Fishburn. Peter's widow Iris, who still lives in Fishburn, told her that one of the Santi children, Henry, fell off a rope swing and died as a child. Tamzin went to visit the grave of Adelmo / Arthur, Maria and Henry at Fishburn Cemetery. The gravestone showed that Arthur died on the 11th Nov 1978, aged 82, Maria died on the 27th Jun 1980, aged 78, and Henry died in 1936 aged 13. Tamzin visited the children's playground in Fishburn which has a plaque showing that Arthur Santi donated the land for it in 1952 in commemoration of the Second World War.

[Margaret in Burton]

I really enjoyed that episode but was surprised that she didn't realise that Italians were interned during WW2.

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Margaret in Burton

I really enjoyed that episode but was surprised that she didn't realise that Italians were interned during WW2.

Me too, Marg. It seemed as though she didn't find out anything that her grandmother and great-aunt couldn't have told her.

[Olde Crone]

I really enjoyed that! Mostly for the lack of histrionics, admittedly, but a good straightforward piece of research.

I WAS left with one question though - why didn't Adelmo naturalise and save himself the problem of internment.

(I felt I had seen that wartime footage on the IOM on another programme about someone's Jewish relatives who were interned there?)

OC

[Margaret in Burton]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Me too, Marg. It seemed as though she didn't find out anything that her grandmother and great-aunt couldn't have told her.

Maybe. Except they did seem to assume that her great grandfather came here from Italy in the early 20's when in fact it was 1913.

[kiterunner]

Searching for Adelmo Santi on TNA's image search, it seems that both Adelmo and Peter were naturalised in 1957 (Maria too). They also have their internment records:
https://images.nationalarchives.gov....keywords=santi

(I didn't know that TNA even had an image search until Google came up with this!)

[Shona]

Originally Posted by Olde Crone

(I felt I had seen that wartime footage on the IOM on another programme about someone's Jewish relatives who were interned there?)

OC

I think it was the David Baddiel episode, OC.

[Guinevere]

I liked the research angle and found that very interesting. However, the "padding" was annoying. I'm not interested in how ice cream used to be made. They could have used that time for a bit more research. *grumps*

I thought Tamzin came across very well, though.

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Searching for Adelmo Santi on TNA's image search, it seems that both Adelmo and Peter were naturalised in 1957 (Maria too). They also have their internment records:
https://images.nationalarchives.gov....keywords=santi

(I didn't know that TNA even had an image search until Google came up with this!)

Neither did I