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Recordiad sain / Audio recording: Antoinette Hughes
Oral history recording with Antoinette Hughes. Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00:00:29 Antoinette was born in Suio in the Lazio region on the 9th September 1947. Her maternal grandparents were Gelsomina and Antonio Malozzi. Paternal grandparents were Maria and Giuseppe Ruggiero. Her mother’s family were from near Castelforte and her father’s side from Suio. Her father’s family were from Suio Alto in the mountains, where they worked in agriculture. They grew what they could on their own land, making; tomato sauces, olive oil and wine- all natural. Family still own bother father’s family’s land and mother’s family’s land. The women stayed at home to farm and make produce, whilst men went out to work often as builders, or were sent to be educated. She describes how they worked and made produce to sell at the market. The family had some cattle in the mountains.
00:10:13 She has met her maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather, who she describes. She only remembers meeting her once, though she lived with her grandparents for a year when she was born in Italy. She always wore black, was always busy and did a lot outside. Her grandfather stayed with them in Wales for a month. In Italy he loved going shooting wild boar. Her mother’s family had a large ornate house; they were wealthy as they had land and made good quality produce. She recalls how the family kept the house and did their washing in the river. Though much of this was the same when they moved to Wales; to start with they had no panes on the windows. Their farm in Wales was in Cerrig-y-Drudion. Though life was simple, she always remembers being comfortable, as her parents looked after her first and foremost. She recalls getting snowed in as they were high up but also in a valley. Antoinette also recalls vividly the pig slaughter at Christmas, which happened in both Wales and Italy.
00:20:45 Her father settled in Wales after being a prisoner of war- the family were very accepted within the community. Her mother is Damiana and her father Giovanni Ruggiero. They both worked at home on the land; her mother made wine, worked in the house, and took things to the market. There were about ten siblings in her mother’s family; they all lived in the same house. Her grandmother had her last child when she was fifty- she has an uncle and cousin of similar age. Clothes were bought with money from selling produce; her mother could weave and spin, and clothes were made out of sacks. She made her own suit out of Hessian when she arrived in Wales. Antoinette’s father was in the army for seven years before the Second World War. He travelled a lot and spoke seven languages. He was in South Africa when the Second World War broke out.
00:27:35 During the war the whole of her mother’s family had to leave their house as the German soldiers took over their village; they would come to the house, keep any farm animals but shoot the pets. Her mother’s family were moved out of their house. They had to leave only with what they were wearing- her mother had a dress which was threadbare at the end of the war. There are still bullet holes on the wall of the house. She describes how mother told her of the cold, having to eat snow. Her mother would be sent out for food to feed the starving siblings. She once killed a sheep and carried it on her head back to the family. She was only in her twenties, her brothers and sisters were younger still and they slept in the caves. Her father was in the army. After the war the family reunited at the house. Antoinette’s father went back to Italy after the war and married her mother. When Italian soldiers returned to Italy there was no work and they didn’t get very much recognition. Her father then returned to Wales where he was offered a job. Her mother stayed in Italy and worked on her in law’s land in Suio. Antoinette would be taken out with her and tied to a post whilst she worked. She then followed her father to Wales. Her mother didn’t talk a lot about her experiences during the war. He was in Tripoli; he was the last one in his battalion and had to walk to escape the area. He was then captured by a British officer and brought to Cerrig-y-Drudion. Her father could speak some of the African languages. He lost all his hair from having to wear a helmet in the heat.
35.35 Her father was very kindly treated in the Cerrig-y-Drudion camp, and worked on farms during his time there. They would be on the land by 3 or 3.30 in the morning to milk. Her father would make things like rings out of money and prisoners made their own tools. In the camp they would sing and have concerts. There were German prisoners but she isn’t sure if they were mixed. Her father never spoke about his journey back, just that there was no welcome for prisoners of war; no work, no pension or support. This is why a lot of prisoners returned to Wales, many having been offered work when they were prisoners. Her father met a very kind family and moved back. Her mother joined him after some time. On the journey over she had to carry Antoinette all the way at 21 months. Her father and mother missed each other at the station in London, so her mother made her way to Colwyn by train without knowing any English. Her father’s employer luckily spoke Italian and met her there, but it took a while for him to explain that her husband had travelled to London to meet her. Reluctantly her mother went with him to the house where her husband was working. Her mother described the journey as busy, lack of food and water, for 3 nights and 3 days. The lira wasn’t accepted abroad and people helped her on the way, buying her food. Her mother always says that people have always helped her along the way being in a strange country. Not speaking the language was difficult, she used sign language. Antoinette talks about the dowry her mother brought over to Wales with her- sheets and home ware was collected over years for the daughter when she got married. She describes the dowry bedspread- silk, heavy woven silk, bright colours.
00:47:50 On the farm, wheat and vegetables were grown, animals were kept for meat and dairy. The animals didn’t belong to them but the employer would share the food so they weren’t lacking. There were a number of employees working on the second farm they worked on; there were a number of houses on the land. She was at primary school at the first farm and for a while at Llangwm. She went to secondary school when they moved to the village. There was a friendly community and they were involved in various activities. Her brothers are David Maurice and Michael Joseph born 1950 and 1954. Her mother still made her own pasta in Wales; she made sauces as tomatoes were expensive to buy. She always remembers a pudding made out of the leftovers of the first milk when a cow has a calf. It would curdle in a certain way and was popular with the postman. She was very resourceful. On the second farm they had a wage with which they could buy food. The first farm they worked on, her father had to travel to work by bike. He once bought a huge radio which he brought home on the bike; batteries were heated up in the oven.
00:56:10 Antoinette spoke Italian as her first language until she went to school where she didn’t want to speak it any more. Her and her siblings understand Italian more than they spoke and wanted to speak Welsh more when growing up. Their first grasp of English was when they were trained for the eleven plus- she had problems with spelling in English though she didn’t find Welsh difficult to learn. There are similarities between Welsh and Italian.
00:01:00 Antoinette first went back to Italy when she was about 12; by train and with the whole family. She remembers walking everywhere to meet relatives in the heat. Her mother’s brothers went into building trade, some moving to France, Germany and Switzerland as there wasn’t enough money to be made in agriculture. Many people moved away; they people from the area in Wrexham, but they were the only Italian family in Llangwm. Another relative moved to Manchester to work in the Cotton Mills. Antoinette communicated in Italian in Italy. She speaks to her mother in Welsh, who responds in Italian, more so as she has got older. Going to Italy was like an adventure- she talks of the long, hot journey. They were spoilt as children; they mixed with other children and were taken out. Antoinette remembers them preserving lots of food- now she likes preserving her own ingredients. They grew their own wheat and took it to a mill nearby to grind it into flour. Bread was made every week; it would go hard at the end of the week which she didn’t like. From the dough they would always keep a little bit to start the next batch with. There was a festival for every Saint and the community was very Catholic. The traditions are still kept now. She remembers lots of colour, food and music; it was overwhelming for her as a child.
00:01:10 Antoinette describes the town her family are from and her holidays back to Italy to visit relatives. She feels she has the emotional side of Italian culture. She still feels very strongly for Wales as well but would like to spend some time in Italy with her family now that she’s older. As she’s got older she feels more of a desire to go and spend time there. Her children feel close to Italian culture, they like the language and are enthusiastic to meet and keep in touch with their family there. She can’t see herself moving there full time. Her children understand Italian and speak a little, enough to get by. They are passionate about football; she thinks they would support Italy. She wishes she had asked more questions to her parents but also takes life as it comes and enjoys it.