The annual ceremony to commemorate Italian prisoners of war who died in South Africa during World War II took place in Pietermartizburg, KwaZulu-Natal province, at the Italian military memorial on 27 October. The ceremony was organised by the Italian Consulate General in Johannesburg for the victims of the imprisonment and sinking of the ship Nova Scotia.
Following the Holy Mass, celebrated by Father De Paul Decock, speeches were made by the Consul General of Italy in Johannesburg, Emanuela Curnis, the Premier of the province, and the Mayor of Msunduzi. Numerous wreaths were laid by the authorities, veterans’ associations, the Com.It.Es. of Johannesburg, and Italian associations active in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as descendants of prisoners of war.
2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the inauguration and consecration of the Church of Our Lady of Grace, built by the prisoners themselves between 1943 and 1944, while they were held in Camp 4, the Pietermaritzburg arrival and sorting camp. The church is now a South African national monument, used for religious celebrations. The monument is maintained by the Italian Consulate General in Johannesburg, on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Defence’s Office for the Protection of Defence Culture and Memory.
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