NARA 2

N.A.R.A. and the Allied Screening Commission – Looking for VAJENTI or PONZI?

When attempting to search for the identity of the anonymous soldier associated with the ANON Post that I had stumbled upon on the Internet, my first instinct was to look at the N.A.R.A. website which was in the process of digitising the Allied Screening Commission documents that had been gathering dust since the period shortly after the 2nd World War when attempts had been made to recompense Italian families who had assisted Allied soldiers after the Italian Armistice in September 1943.

My first thought was to look for the VAJENTI family who appeared in the ANON Post and whose names were associated with some of the photographs that were embeded in the post, such as the one below. But reading that “There are no search results found using the search term: VAJENTI” What indeed should I do next?

So, my second option was to try PONZI, being the surname of Ambrogio “Getto” Ponzi who was in possession of all this remarkable material, but that too was unsuccessful as it only threw up a massive Index to Helper Claims which appeared to consist of 1500 blank cards. I gave up scrolling through them.

So the only real option left to me was to try the name of “Patrizio” who I was hoping to be Major P. De Clermont whose name and contact details had been included in a letter sent to “Maria and Family” as included in my second Post on ANON. plus DE CLERMONT.

Great, so it looks like only 4 results, but I’m liking the look of the 2nd as it not only indicates the Creators as being “Prisoner of War Claims Screening Commission” but the Subject Files have been Maintained by Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Graham De Burgh, none other than the Senior British Officer at PG 49! Let’s see what we can find in this container which appears to have only 39 Images. And it doesn’t take long to find 6 Pages which not only confirm that one of my men on my Roll Call exists, but he appears to have reached Allied lines as the last page is dated 14th November 1944 . And not only that, but scrolling through the pages I come across a very interesting find.

Could this Signorina TINA VAIENTA of VILLA BANDERA in VICOLENO near PIAZENZA be the same TINA VAJENTI in the photograph above? My first thought is that there is a possibility that the name could have been ‘Lost in Translation’ or at least a small issue of interpreting an accent?

So, I haven’t made any progress on identifying my anonymous author but, the 6 pages I have unearthed are providing fantastic information as Captain de Clermont lists numerous Italian Civilians, “with whom I have incurred particular obligations.”

But I have a feeling I am going to have to use them in further Posts or Pages to create the following:-

• A POW Page for DE CLERMONT, Patrick Howard Voltelin
• Posts and/or Pages for the following CONTADINI who appear to have popped up in this find? :-
  • The VAIENTA or VAJENTI Family
  • CARLONE, Manlio
  • FERRETTI, Giovanni
  • FERRETTI, Lino
  • SOLARI, Artemio
  • TOSCANA, Antonio
  • MEDICI, Luigi
  • CARINO, Sanviti
  • PALUMBO, Manuele
  • GRAVINI, Lina
  • BANDINI, Emilio
  • LUSINGHANA, Olympio
  • CORRADI, Aldo
  • GREGORIO
  • LUSINGHANA, Enrico
  • LUSCI, Antonio
  • ILLICA, Giuseppe
  • RENZO
  • RUGGI
  • MARENGI, Francesco
  • PERAZOLI