On one of her walks through the neighbourhood, Cheri stopped in front of a chapel that looked a bit like a mausoleum. It sits on about two acres of high ground on the east side of Pietermaritzburg and is visible from a number of areas in the city. A large white cross is placed behind the chapel. We've never seen anyone go in or out of the building. The architecture does not resemble the colonial British buildings that dot this area. It has more of a European feel. Other than the Latin on the building, there is nothing there that reveals just what it is. We were looking at it one evening when an Afrikaans couple on a walk came by. They said it was a memorial for Italian prisoners of war. That's about all they knew. So what's it doing in a small city in South Africa?
In the early years of World War II, Italy was persuaded by Hitler to join the Axis powers. Italy had interests and holdings in northeast Africa, specifically Somalia and Ethiopia. Three days after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, South Africa declared war against the Axis countries to defend its strategic geographic position. It had fewer than 4,000 soldiers at the time.
In 1940, Germany and Italy went into north Africa primarily to secure the oil fields. By then, South Africa had beefed up its enlistments and joined Britain in attacking and defeating the Italian army in Eastern Africa, one of the first setbacks for the Axis.
In February 1941, the first Italian prisoners-of-war from the North Africa campaigns arrived in South Africa. Thousands more followed over the next two years. Eventually, some 67,000 Italian prisoners were housed in the country. Providing for them was an enormous and challenging task for the South African army and other public officials. They set about it on a massive, country-wide scale. Indeed, one of the largest POW camps in all the Allied territories was located near Pretoria.
The treatment of the POW's was extraordinary and speaks volumes about the people of South Africa. The Geneva Convention of 1929 prescribed minimum conditions for treatment of military captives. South Africa, facing boatloads of Italian prisoners, marshaled its resources and, in an act of uncommon grace, exceeded the minimum standards in ways that have probably never been matched. Barracks were quickly built, along with hospitals, eating halls, schools, libraries and community halls with performing arts venues. The army tended to the religious and spiritual needs of the prisoners with a cadre of chaplains. Sports facilities such as football grounds, tennis courts, and boxing rings were part of every camp. Some theater companies had as many as 120 men. They performed operettas using their own symphony orchestra. Literacy was taught to prisoners unable to read Italian to help prepare them for re-entry into Italy. Four thousand South African industries, shops and households provided employment for the prisoners. One such employer , Guido Monzali, was himself an Italian.
Born in March, 1877, near Bologna, he left his impoverished family for the United States at age 14. Poorly educated and possessing no real skills, he worked in Midwestern coals mines for several years before returning home briefly. He again left home to work on the Trans-Siberian Railroad project, then on to the Sudan where he learned how dams were built.
In time, he settled in South Africa and started his own construction company that built some of the largest public works projects in South Africa, most of them within an hour of Pietermaritzburg. He also constructed railroad lines, bridges and water supply facilities.
In 1931, he built a mansion (more like a castle) for himself and his family on the outskirts of the city. It remains there today. Many POW's worked as part of Monzani's household staff. It is they who built the chapel to honor and memorialize the Italian prisoners who served their time in South Africa. It is not surprising that many of the prisoners did not go back home after the war.
My ophthalmologist here is named Donelli. I'll ask him at my next appointment.
