Prisoner of War mail, addressed to Rev. L. Sauro, April 14, 1941

Prisoner of War mail, addressed to Rev. L. Sauro, April 14, 1941.

Rev. Libero Sauro was arrested on September 7, 1940 and held at Don Jail before being transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp.

After his release, Sauro continued to help other internees and their families. In this postcard, he is being thanked by an Italian merchant marine for a parcel he sent to a group of internees.

Internees were allowed to write three letters and four postcards per month. The maximum length for letters was twenty-four lines and eight lines for postcards. Exceptions were made for those who ran businesses and had to respond to letters from the Custodian of Enemy Property. All camp letters were read by a censor. Contents deemed inappropriate were blacked out with ink. The same applied to incoming mail. Camp letters that were written in Italian were first translated into English before being read by a censor.

Internees were allowed to receive parcels from family members. These packages were searched thoroughly by camp guards before being distributed. Internees mostly received food and clothing.

Receiving mail was an important occasion for internees. For most, letters were the only contact they had with family.

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials donated by the Sauro family.