Summary

Handwritten employment reference for Giuseppe Gonzales from Sidney Fuge, Foreman Fitter at Peacock & Smith, Engineers, Coppersmiths and Plumbers 534 Flinders Street Melbourne, 12 April 1950. The reference certifies that Giuseppe was employed by the company from May 1947 to 12 April 1950 as a fitter and machinist.

Giuseppe had been interned as an Italian enemy alien on arrival in Australia in 1940. Giuseppe met future wife Bobbie on a ship sailing from Italy to Australia in 1940. Giuseppe was arrested upon arrival and interned as an enemy alien until 1946 when he could finally marry Bobbie in Kew in 1946 - who lost her Australian citizenship as a result.

Refer to Narrative record 16616 Giuseppe Gonzales - Italian Internee World War II 1940 - Collections Online: Article for full story.

Physical Description

Handwritten text on plain, lined paper

Significance

Statement of Historical Significance:
Enemy alien internment during World War II is a significant, often hidden, history, especially in the context of Australian homefront wartime experiences. This collection provides a starting point for exploring this history further, as well as the impact on families of those interned, including Australian citizens without any birth connections to Axis nations.

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