Page 80 - A Talk with Dominic Nardocchio

ISSUE : Issue 53

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1990/1/1

He-said to him, "Well, if we've got to go there, you don't have to come with us. We'll go there anyway. You can go home." (Were you scared?) No, no, no, I wasn't scared. So we got to Montreal. And it was 10 o'clock, I think, before we left for Petawawa. And you see, first is the Petawawa mil? itary camp. And then be? yond that, 15 miles beyond, is the con? centration camp. So this young offi? cer, RCMP, was sitting opposite me. He was pret? ty tired, you see, and he looked sleepy. So I said to him, "Well, I'll tell you. If you --you're so tired. Why don't you take your boots off, take your tunic, and hang your gun, and go to sleep. Don't need to wor? ry." I said, "What the hell do you want to worry about us for? We're not going to run away. Who in the hell wants to run away?" "Oh," he said, "I know that." So he took his shoes off, and took his tunic, and he said, "Will you call me before 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. I've got to be ready be? fore I get to the military camp." He told me, see. So I said, "Don't worry, I'll call you." So, about 5 o'clock, I called him. I said, "Well, you'd better get ready." So he knew that we're--there's no danger in us, you see. Hertz 24 HOUR SERVICE - 7 DAYS A WEEK 1430 George St. Sydney, N. S. 539-1538 539-5623 Sydney Airport • FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE • FEATURING LATEST MODEL CARS, TRUCKS, & 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES f'Bftzi • LOCAL PICKUP and DELIVERY To Reserve a Car 'r'rRsT.l..- -800-263-0600 The #1 way to rent a car. And when we got to the military camp, of course, you see the commandant there. He kind of was reluctant to accept us, be? cause he saw us all smashed up, 3 or 4 of the fellows, and he didn't want to have responsibility. So he had to call Ottawa, to find out what hap? pened. He wanted to make sure that they were not hurt in the camp. So somebody, medical doctdr, came from Ottawa and examined them all. And that's how we were. And then of course, af? ter a month they ap? pointed a board of inquiry, of the RCMP, brought them to justice. I don't know how, but I was asked--they recommended--to be the in? terpreter. If I wanted to be. So I said, "Okay," I said. "I don't mind." And we kept at the inquiry for 8 months. From June up till February, 1941. (What was the inquiry about?) About all those Italians, to see where they came from, to see if they had anything to do with Mussolini, with the Fascist Party--if they were dangerous, and so on. There was an 18-page inquiry for each prisoner to fill in. We used to do two a dayl Some? times, three. One in the morning and two in the afternoon. Or one in the morning, one in the afternoon. When the Italians were interned, June the 10th, 1940, we were not interned (the way the Japanese were). We were just picked up like. ...? Well, I was well-known in Sydney. I was head of some Italian club we had. (Today) they want you to have all these ethnic groups get together. The govern? ment '11 give you a grant to get together with (other) Italians. Boy, at that time we had to pay our own money. Well, I was 80 Natural Foods 'For Your Health's Sake Buy Natural Foods" Great Selection of Vitamins and Minerals Beer- and Wine-Mal

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