Illustration from Le Montreal de Mon Enfance, Antonio De Thomasis

Page from the book Le Montreal de Mon Enfance ("The Montreal of my childhood") by author/illustrator Antonio De Thomasis. The illustration depicts a street scene in Montreal. The horse and green wagon from Corona Bakery is in the mid-ground. Vincenzo Monaco sits in the wagon while his young son Michael hops the curb to deliver a bread basket.

Vincenzo Monaco arrived in Canada in 1923 and became a citizen (a naturalized British subject) in 1931. He worked at the Margherita Bakery on Clark St. in Montreal and after his only son, Michael, was born, the family moved to Bordeaux St. in 1932. Monaco worked in construction for a period and then he started a family business, the Corona Bakery, with his brothers Donato Monaco and Antonio Monaco. Monaco was arrested on June 10, 1940, while delivering bread with his horse and buggy. Monaco was 40 years old and had five children when he was interned. His internment lasted just over six months. According to his son, Monaco viewed his time away as a vacation from work, since he had never been able to take time off. However, his internment was more difficult on the family and they nearly lost the bakery business.