The prisoners who found 'escape' in football

Coriolano"Gino" Caprara is the last surviving Italian prisoner of war to have been held in the Orkney Islands during World War Two. Now aged 100, he has been recalling how football came to play an important role in camp life.

Italy surrendered to the Allied forces in 1943, but the 1,000 men being held in the two camps in Orkney could not be returned to their native country because of Nazi Germany's influence in the region.Image captionAuthor Donald S Murray said their presence was troubling for many Orcadians, whose relatives were themselves being held in prisoner of war camps.

The prisoners helped to build the Churchill Barriers, a series of sea defences, as well as creating the Italian Chapel. This ornate chapel was fashioned from two Nissen Huts and a concrete facade.As the PoWs became more ingrained in everyday Orkney life, sport became an increasingly important part of life in the camps.

The players were described as demonstrating"the speed of snails, internal pains, and feet in the air" which got"healthy laughter from the spectators". The match ended with a 2-0 win for the Rossi over the Verdi.The teams were praised for their entertainment value

... mrdanwalker - nice tale!

I suspect a prisoner of war camp in the Orkneys was probably a dam site better than a lot of the ones allied troops ended up in in Germany and the suffering of those who were held captive by the Japanese is beyond comprehension. These Italians didn't have it to bad.

Bert Trautmann was a prisoner of war, a very special man and quite an amazing story. Look him up, you won't be disappointed

The Great Escape 🤔

There is a book called POW Baseball, about the German camps. The YMCA sent sports equipment. My father was a POW at Milag Nord for 33 months. PQ17. There were major and minor leagues. And a World Series. Red Cross package cord was used to make nets (football, volleyball)

United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ghislaine Maxwell given paper clothes and denied bedsheets over suicide fears'I don't think the feds can handle these prisoners, such high-profile prisoners like Maxwell or Epstein' Ghislaine Maxwell did not kill herself... Shes gonna die🤷🏼‍♂️ They will find some way to have her suicide herself.
Source: The Independent - 🏆 80. / 59 Read more »

'Make things right': criminal justice officials urge California to release prisoners amid Covid-19 surgeSan Francisco attorney general and lawmakers issue joint call as San Quentin prison has records 1,500 cases and seven deaths Might as well empty out the rest of the jails while you’re defunding the police and cheering on the riots. That's worked out well in New York of course.... Right, no chance they’ll reoffend
Source: The Guardian - 🏆 84. / 53 Read more »

From addict, to armed robber, to movie starA new documentary looks at how the 76-year-old left his criminal past to become a film star. Nice. 14 in the chat to defund the BBC DefundTheBBC Always nice to see people who have turned their life around.
Source: BBCNews - 🏆 3. / 97 Read more »

New Zealand: man cuts through fence to escape Covid-19 quarantine and buy alcoholMan in his 50s is the third person to abscond during quarantine, as the nation battles with influx of returning citizens Points for the determination Hero
Source: The Guardian - 🏆 84. / 53 Read more »

Dog with its muzzle bound by a plastic band escapes from meat vendorsA Chinese animal lover said the dog's owner had decided to sell it to meat vendors because he had to move houses. She said the man had tied up the dog's muzzle to prevent it from biting people. I’m against interventionist wats, but maybe it’s time to save the pups 🐶♡ Calf with muzzle (to stop it from drinking it's mother's milk, so humans can)....unfortunately doesn't fair the same respect. See the hypocrisy? Yet?
Source: Daily Mail Online - 🏆 135. / 51 Read more »

David Squires on ... the Melbourne A-League teams' not-that-great escapeOur cartoonist looks at a noble attempt to keep the nation’s spirits up through the pandemic by not flying to Canberra
Source: The Guardian - 🏆 84. / 53 Read more »