Phil Cooke
2026 promises to be yet another very busy and fruitful year for the Trust. In February, the trustees met for our annual “in person” meeting. I was particularly pleased that, thanks to the help of Andrea del Cornò, a friend of the Trust, we were able to meet at the London Library, an institution which lives and breathes the long history of cooperation, collaboration and mutual support between Italy and the United Kingdom. At the meeting, we welcomed two new trustees, Jane Bonham Carter and Tom Carver, and we look forward to their valued contribution to the work of the Trust.
Mazzini and London
The great Risorgimento thinker Giuseppe Mazzini was a great supporter of the London Library, helping to shape its initial collection, and I have no doubt that he would have approved wholeheartedly of the Trust’s activities. Mazzini is commemorated as the “father of modern democracy” on a plaque in Laystall Street, where the Mazzini-Garibaldi club met for many years. The subsequent club premises, in Red Lion Street, were confiscated in 1940 when Italians were considered “enemy aliens”, a reminder to us all of the far-reaching impact of the war. Perhaps some of our bursary holders, most of whom study in London, will take the opportunity to visit Laystall Street and some of the sites of memory connected to Mazzini’s long stay in the capital, such as his house in North Gower Street, where I have frequently stopped to look at the blue plaque. These places remind us of the long history of Anglo-Italian friendship which the Trust, thanks to Keith Killby’s vision, actively supports and maintains.
Build the Future
Mazzini was a man of many parts, and one of his great skills was fund-raising. He was supported by prominent figures in British society and culture, such as the Ashurst sisters and Charles Dickens. While the Trust is not seeking to raise an army, or to promote a revolution, we are looking to bring more young Italians to the UK through our “Build the Future” campaign. We hope that the friends of the Trust will give generously, as was the case when the late Vanni Treves, who was almost as persuasive as Mazzini, spearheaded the last major campaign over a decade ago. For details of the current campaign, and how to donate please visit the campaign page. This new campaign is the result of a lot of hard work by Tom Carver, David Kettle and George Mitchell, our media and communications expert. I am also delighted that our recently appointed new trustee, Laura Terrell, has kindly offered to put her experienced shoulder to the wheel of the “Build the Future” campaign. In this newsletter, Laura introduces herself to supporters here.
Parri collaboration
2026 has also been a very productive year in terms of the collaborative events organised by our Italian partner, the Parri institute. It was at the Parri, previously the INSMLI, where I cut my teeth as a researcher in the academic year 1990-1991.
The Trust has been working with Parri for a number of years, and 2026 saw the culmination of a major research project on Italy and the allies. The website was launched with events at Foligno/Colfiorito and Bari. Ruth Murphy and Malcolm Gaskill kindly represented the Trust at Bari, while I was able to be present at Foligno. At Foligno, Sarah Bistocchi, the president of the Regional Assembly, reminded the public that the history of the Second World War was ever present, with the prison camp of Colfiorito a short distance away. The day continued with a series of presentations to and by children from local schools. Pupils from the fifth class of the liceo classico Federico Frezzi- Beata Angela read out from testimonies of Allied prisoners of war. I was particularly struck by the enthusiasm and level of interest showed by Niccolò Tordoni, Letizia Pucci, Ginevra Giustozzi and Chiara Santuari, the pupils who performed the readings, and I hope they will in the future apply for one of our bursaries.
The presentations in the morning were followed by a training workshop for teachers which took place in a magnificent, but rather chilly, Baroque church. One of the speakers was Giordano Viozzi, a great friend of the Trust, who outlined plans for the development of the Casa della Memoria at Servigliano.
In the evening, we were taken to camp 64 at Colfiorito, where a very well-designed museum provides unique, and very moving, insights into the harshness of prison life there. A hundred Allied PoWs were sent there in the winter of 1942 to help construct the camp, which became one of the largest internment sites in Italy. I would thoroughly recommend a visit, perhaps culminating in a dinner at the local restaurant, which serves wonderful delicacies, including the locally produced lentils.
Future plans for the Parri/MSMT collaboration
I am very pleased to be able to reveal that the Trust and the Parri are planning to take our collaboration further, with more research into the “helpers” as well as training events for teachers. As far as the work into the “helpers” is concerned I took the opportunity to look at the “Bacciagaluppi” archive while in Milan in early June. The archive contains detailed information about the work of the Ufficio Assistenza Prigionieri Alleati, run by the partisan Giuseppe “Nino” Bacciagaluppi, who organised escape lines from northern Italy into Switzerland for over 1,500 former Allied prisoners. Along with the NARA archive in Washington, the Fondo Bacciagaluppi has the potential to reveal a lot more detail about an important dimension of escaped PoWs’ experiences.
The Parri collaboration has also given young researchers, such as Mara Picone and Nicola Cacciatore, the opportunity to gain invaluable experience in archival and outreach work. For the Trust, the principle point of contact was Nermina Delic, who worked tirelessly on the project. Nermina, a former bursary holder, stepped down as a trustee at February’s meeting, and I and my fellow trustees are hugely grateful to her for all the work she has done on our behalf. Nermina gives her reflections on her time as a trustee here.
Ambassadors
The Trust has always enjoyed a close relationship with the Italian ambassador in the London, and the UK ambassador in Rome. I was able to thank His Excellency Inigo Lambertini at an event to mark the end of his term of office. I am sure you will all join me in wishing his Excellency a very happy retirement. Equally, I was delighted to hear of the recent appointment of Stephen Hickey to the post of His Majesty’s ambassador to Italy, succeeding Edward Llewellyn. We wish Stephen all the very best for his period of office.
Finally, our first bursary holders of the year arrived in the UK in June. I am sure they will have an inspirational experience and look forward to hearing of their time in the UK – made possible by the generosity and kindness of individuals inspired by Keith Killby’s legacy.
We look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the annual lunch at the RAF Club, Piccadilly, on Wednesday November 18th. Invitations will be sent out in September.
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