Prisoner of War mail, by Ruggero Bacci, to Mrs. Minnie Bacci, December 19, 1941

This handwritten prisoner of war mail in Italian, was sent by Ruggero Bacci, and is addressed to his wife Minnie Bacci, on December 19, 1941.

Internee Bacci writes to his wife that both she and her mother should try to remain calm and rest as much as possible. He claims rest is often better than medicine. His father-in-law had passed away a few weeks earlier.

However, Bacci claims that he does not understand why his wife is so anxious. He has asked her repeatedly to focus on her own health and the wellbeing of their children. However, should circumstances be untolerable, he tells her to contact the Italian consul, whose role it is to look after the wellbeing of Italians.

Bacci also asks his wife not to think of the future, which regardless, he expects to be better than their past.

He asks her to reconsider her visit to the internment camp, which he believes is too much money and effort. However, if she does decide to visit, she should at least wait until the summer. He also claims that he has not received a family photograph and wonders if she forgot to include it with the letter. He wishes them all a happy holiday.

Bacci was interned for almost three years. In his absence, his wife Erminia (Minnie) suffered a serious nervous breakdown and was hospitalized at length. Bacci's oldest son Aldo was forced to quit high school to help support the family. When his father was released and returned home, Aldo received notice that he was conscripted into the Canadian Army; however, he did not serve overseas.

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials on loan by the Bacci family.