A Voyage, A Storm, and A Car
- thepadol2
- Jan 9
- 17 min read
It was well before my time, but I can try to imagine what it must have been like based on the few references I found amongst the papers my dad kept. He wasn't one who threw any paper out easily; even a simple receipt presented an opportunity for him to write comments in the margin if he felt there was reasonable value or maybe it was his way to keep a factual diary. Meticulous he certainly was. So, going back 74 years ago, to a remarkable time in my parents' life, is worth remembering, and with the aid of some imagination to fill in some of the blanks.
1951
Ah'Lek with his wife, C'iohb, and their 4-year-old son had arrived and settled in Rome in April of the year, and by now spring was in full swing with the Roman summer making its presence known every now and then as the sun could really start to warm things. In 1951 Rome was quite a mix of contrasts - the classical ruins of the Roman era as one would expect, the more recent urbanization at Mussolini's hand which showed in recently opened streets and boulevards, imposing stone and concrete structures with nearby tinsel town-like squatters, mostly pre-war automobiles plying seemingly empty streets, and people going about their business on transport that ranged from ox carts to horse carriages to trolleys.
At that time, World War II had ended only six years earlier and the hardship was still fresh in memory. There were telltale signs around if one really looked. Italy was in dire condition and could only look to the future with the promise of the ambitious Marshall Plan. While Ah'Lek would have been hard pressed to see signs of the destruction in the areas he most likely visited, it was hardly the case. In the first of a total of 51 bombing sorties by the Allies, 3000 civilians lost their lives and more than 10,000 were wounded. The B-17 came by day for precision bombings of military objectives, namely the railroad, but all they really had were dumb bombs that they simply dropped. Only 1 out 10 hit their mark. The rest fell in an ever expanding circle of collateral destruction. There wasn't much to rejoice aside from the sense of freedom and the makings of a new republic. The referendum just five years prior had rejected the monarchy but only by a slim majority. Nonetheless the results were respected and people wanted to forge ahead. Pollution was not yet a problem, but poverty could be seen by looking around. Certainly the have and the have nots could be easily noticed by those dressed in respectable attire of the time versus the shabby and tattered clothes of those still toiling away at any unskilled work. Rome was unlike other Italian cities with its higher number of government employees, a special breed of white collar workers, who lived a more stable life than most as salaried and with a guaranteed for life employment. In this sense, with all the embassies, foreigners in the diplomatic service were easily found in many upper establishments. Undoubtedly where ever they went they received the royal treatment as the opportunity to make a sale was more likely. This diplomatic community was actually larger as a mix of expats in different organizations and occupations moved in the same circles. Mass tourism was still unheard of and so the vast number of historic sites were all easily accessible, although perhaps not well curated (this hasn't vastly improved with time). One could go and come at one's leisure. Security was hardly present. Pickpockets already existed as a profession and was present as any common theft where opportunity existed. Eating presented itself as a proper meal, mostly restaurants with servers in white jacket. Microwaves didn't exist and a home refrigerator was unheard of. Food was fresh and daily, not in abundance, and certainly not easily accessible to the population who had lost much and was making a meagre living.
All this was certainly a contrast to what Ah'Lek and C'iohb experienced at their prior posting in Washington DC. Such a large metropolis was at least 20 years ahead of Rome in terms of pure development and services. It was certainly a large and bustling city. Rome was much more lethargic with a different rhythm.
This was the Rome that presented itself to Ah'Lek and C'iohb.
The Adventure
Ah'Lek and his family had left Bangkok in 1949 when Ah'Lek was seconded to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an agency of the United Nations. A high ranking director of the agency had made a very explicit request by name to the Thai government for Ah'Lek apparently he had collaborated with them in the past in some symposium work and therefore imminently familiar with specific workflows and methodology. As the agency was also missioned to be staffed with people from participating member countries, the choice of Ah'Lek was more than logical. The Thai government agreed to second Ah'Lek, presumably for a limited time (documentation would show that it was never explicitly stated).
In 1949 Ah'Lek and his family arrived inWashington DC to start this new beginning with FAO. It couldn't have been a more cosmopolitan city with an international prominence for the number of foreign delegations and diplomats. This was all part of the fervor of a new beginning, a new world peace, and the United Nations played a prominent role.
FAO
In a new world order, the UN and its myriad of agencies felt it imperative to be an organization that would not be US centric in terms of location aside from the UN headquarters in New York City. Italy and Switzerland both offered locations for an FAO headquarters and in the end FAO chose Rome as their new headquarters. FAO would be located in the buildings that were built to house the Ministry of Colonial Affairs, something that no longer had the priority or even the existence as envisioned by Mussolini. Though hardly ever mentioned, that Rome was the choice couldn't have been more coincidental or befitting. Today, even when agriculture is fundamental to human existence, it isn't perceived to be exciting or innovative given our priorities on technological advancement, but at the turn of the 20th century agriculture was at the forefront and the application of statistical analysis was seen as the advancement for a global agricultural management. Indeed statistics was the equivalent of today's big data and the basis for formulating strategies. The intial global focus started with the establishment of the International Institute of Agricultural by way of King Emmanuel of Italy in 1905 in Rome. The IIA existed for 40 years, located in a building that was built for it on the grounds of Villa Borghese and today it is known as Villa Lublin in honor of the US founder. Its works was thus carried forward with FAO.
The Voyage
Although FAO had already started discussion on a suitable headquarters location, it was not an easy choice for internal political reasons, and it took time, until 1949 to be exact. Indeed the choice of Rome was only finalized once Ah'Lek had arrived in Washington DC. As Ah'Lek was seconded, he did not think he had much opinion in the matter and merely accepted FAO's offer to relocate as part of the staff of which 200 colleagues had accepted, a third of the original headquarter staff in Washington.
Ah'Lek and his family undertook the transatlantic journey on the S.S. Vulcania oceanliner arriving in Naples and then transferring to Rome by train. This might have never occurred as the SS Vulcania encountered severe weather on the crossing and for several days everyone was confined with constant thrashing and furniture being thrown about. C'iohb even tied up her young son for his own safety.
From Food and Agriculture Organization official accounts:
The transfer to Rome was effected during the early months of 1951. A contract was made with the Italian Lines. for the transport of the staff and their families, utilizing regular sailings of the S.S. Saturnia and the S.S. Vulcania. 76 staff and family members sailed out of New York on the Saturnia on 17 Feburary; 78 on the Vulcania on 1 March; 82 on the Saturnia on 22 March; and 5 on the Satumia on 28 April.
The 4 April sailing of the Vulcania was cancelled because on its previous passage it had encountered a very bad storm and had to go into dry dock for repairs. A few incidents will indicate the severity of that storm. The grand piano in the main lounge broke loose and, cruising about the lounge, reduced most of the furnishings to kindling. During the height of the storm it was impossible to operate the dining room, and waiters crept along the corridors with sandwiches and whatever else could be served in the cabins. One staff member was thrown from her berth and suffered some cracked ribs. Sir Herbert Broadley, then Deputy Director-General, recounted — with his usual wry humour — being seasick and having to crawl from his berth to the bathroom, where he had the misfortune of having the seat of the toilet fall down around his neck! It was an epic voyage, and one that the 78 FAO staff and family members who experienced it did not soon forget.
The intensity of the storm that struck the Vulcania can perhaps be more fully appreciated from Street's (1951) account, written shortly after the event:
"The second ship was caught in one of the worst storms in recent years. For a day and a half it drifted helplessly, battered by mountainous seas. Passengers could not leave their rooms, not even for meals. They were thrown out of their bunks, were cut and bruised. Two sailors were lost overboard. The main hatch broke open and water poured into the hold, where automobiles and household furnishings were crashing about in destructive abandon. The captain himself had doubts that the ship would survive."
Since only a little over a fourth of the Washington staff was transferred to Rome, the Organization was faced with the very substantial task of rebuilding a staff. In addition, the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) was at that time getting under way, so that apart from dealing with the ongoing programme of work, it was necessary to cope with a considerable increase in the workload, and to find the necessary additional staff both for field assignments as well as for the backstopping tasks at Headquarters.
Scenes of devastation on the S.S. Vulcania
Ah'Lek had never planned for any of this, after all, he thought he was on assignment to FAO from the Thai government at the time. Ah'Lek was young at 35, but he had been a statistician for 10 years at this point. This whole relocation felt like it was an orchestrated group experience, and that wasn't too far from the truth as 200 families were basically a community of what we today call expats. It was a major logistical undertaking and in some ways many processes and procedures had to be created ad hoc as FAO was entitled to many special treatment given its UN status, and it just wasn't limited to tax exemptions.. FAO itself would provide dedicated services for such a community, shielding them from many of the logistical and bureaucratic aspects of Italy. Italy, and more specifically Rome, in 1951 didn't have a problem with illegal immigrants and boats washing up with migrants from North Africa. A foreigner was simply someone not Italian. Actually at that point most foreigners were likely to be diplomats, and now FAO with this significant community, really swelled the ranks. By any comparison FAOers were perceived to be well educated, cultured, and rich.
Upon arriving Rome, Ah'Lek settled his family into a serviced hotel nearby the Royal Thai embassy. However it wasn't near his office and so there was a commute to deal with. Although less known, FAO actually moved into its intended location only in 1952 while for the first year it was located in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni as temporary offices. He could easily see that life in Rome was going to be different from the one in Washington DC. There he could do most things by foot or public transport. Here it was different.
Quasi-diplomat
While time went by at a rather rapid pace ever since they had left Bangkok for Washington, Ah'Lek at times ponder his stroke of luck, but as they say, luck is only part of story. Perhaps he didn't expect to end up in Rome, Ah'Lek was certainly well positioned for opportunities. He was a Thai King's scholarship recipient for which he was able to go for his masters degree in the US at the University of Pennsylvania. Since his time at university in Bangkok, given his family's background, his social circle brought him into contact with peers who eventually became friends with many who went on to be statesmen, technocrats, and politicians. This in some way continue during his studies in the US with the small circle of Thai people part of the embassy and related Thai government agencies. This interaction undoubtedly paved the way so that Ah'Lek and his family were equally welcomed by the Royal Thai embassy in Rome. Not a diplomat but treated with respect from a prestigious organization.
That Ah'Lek initially chose a place close to the embassy was so that the family had a better support opportunity should the need arise. Most of the embassy staff were living in nearby neighborhoods. It was a way for the family to get their bearings with a relative sense of security.
The Search
The best solution was to have car, or what was then called an automobile in proper terms. After the war Italy still had its industrial production in tatters and motor vehicles were far from the common transport seen today. All of a sudden the influx of 200 families probably created a demand unseen before for vehicles. Ah'Lek had never owned a vehicle or driven one for that matter in his life, but he was a practical man and knew what was called for. Ah'Lek spoke English but not Italian and this only reinforced his thought to limit his approach. FAO had to still ramp up its headquarter operations from a local staffing perspective, but the personnel department knew it had a multitude of issues to grapple with for the families in their relocation. One can imagine the internal bulletin board must have been plastered with all sorts of requests and needs. But a real physical bulletin board in those days really had limitations if it was just a board somewhere inside FAO's offices and the request were for something that had to come from outside of FAO.
Parish of Santa Susanna
C'iohb, was even more practical than Ah'Lek and certainly resourceful when it came to finding solutions. As Catholics, Sunday mass was in Latin which meant any church in Rome would have been fine. Fortunately, since 1921, the church of Santa Susanna had been designated as the parish church for the American community and it was staffed by the Paulist Fathers from the US. This provided Ah'Lek and his family a catholic community in a language they could understand, and it solved the problem of understanding the homily at mass which was typically in the vernacular. The parish of Santa Susanna was quite robust and very active, and now with even some more US expats from FAO. So here, C'iohb, found a better suited bulletin board to leverage.
Je Ne Sais Quoi
Although C'iohb was quite young, she had panache and a certain finesse when interacting with people, whether friends or mere acquaintances. One would have never guessed that C'iohb had a limited formal education, she never let it be an obstacle to her persona. While anyone else in her shoes and with a similar background could have felt threatened or overwhelmed by so many new challenges, C'iohb was determined to find her own way through the challenges. Her flair and demeanor helped her to be easily remembered by others, and indeed many even found ways to engage with her which simply opened more doors. Limited education perhaps, but she could easily pickup a new language. Maybe not grammatically perfect, her astute hearing enabled her to get her pronunciation to be the envy of many.
Herb
Some say luck is a matter of timing. Herb, Harold Capozzi, was a young man of 25, and while he was a native of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada, his family had their roots as Italian immigrants. Herb was quite an athlete in school, but rather than becoming a professional after college, he had decided to spend a year in Italy to learn the language at Perugia. His parents were successful at growing their winery and so Herb had no financial challenges, quite the opposite in fact. Herb wasn't just studying in Perugia, he took time to travel around Italy in a Morris Minor that he had first acquired in England and then subsequently travel down the continent to Italy. As a Canadian and catholic, he had quickly found the Santa Susanna parish in his time in Rome when he wasn't in Perugia. Herb had decided to take up a Shell Oil job offer once he completed his time in Perugia. This only meant that the Morris Minor needed to be sold as his only significant possession at the time. Given his financial condition, he didn't expect a problem with a buyer since any price would actually work for him. Another parishoner saw the post that C'iohb had put on the bulletin board, and knew about Herb's upcoming need and so suggested the post could be of interest.
The Morris
It wasn't long before Ah'Lek and Herb came to an agreement. Although the Morris Minor was registered in England, it was licensed in France. Some may have asked why on earth a Morris when Italy had other makes? Ah'Lek wasn't your typical buyer if one could even make such an assertion in 1951. He couldn't communicate in Italian. It would have been cumbersome making arrangements with some one to help interpret if he went around local dealerships. Perhaps Italian makers were slowly recovering and an English product sounded more enticing and perceived with quality and reliability. English industries were trying to quickly recover from the war and this meant a focus on export to achieve higher volumes. Morris did so by producing Minor MM in significant numbers for export. A peculiarity of such exports were that they were all left hand drives making such products instantly and easily accessible. While the automobile was no longer in its infancy, the war certain made a dent to its wider adoption. Italy had suspended registration of new automobiles and the industry had been converted to the war time effort. Owning and registering a vehicle to be operated in Italy was rather simple even though it was all done through a set of manual process and it wasn't necessarily standardized as industry standards didn't exist yet. Registering a vehicle with its own peculiar history wasn't unusual and at times exceptions to the rule were made without much hassles because officials weren't surprise of situations that the law had not considered. Herb had purchased the vehicle in France as an export model and it was duly registered there. Herb also had a Carnet de Passage en Douanes which was a recognized document that permitted him to drive in different European countries on a one year basis without having to import the vehicle. As part of the agreement Ah'Lek had made arrangements to nationalize the vehicle, a term indicating that import duties would be paid so that vehicle could then be registered as an import. Herb and Ah'Lek settled on a price of 500,000 lire which was quite a petty sum, but was good deal on both sides as it let them achieve their different goals. A brand new Morris Minor listed at 800,000 lire at the time.
The Morris Minor was an important addition in the new life that Ah'Lek was now well on his way to experiencing. The Morris Minor would be the first of many vehicles that Ah'Lek would later acquire as a family car, and as he enjoyed a degree of tax benefit with FAO. For the moment, he was now to savour the freedom and flexibility to move and go where and when he pleased. Rome didn't have that many automobiles in 1951, making traffic a relatively infrequent event. Ah'Lek could even get home from the office in 5 minutes, enough to do a lunch break at home with a short siesta. In all of Italy, in 1951, there were only 400,000 automobiles. Ah'Lek had to deal with the second order of business - actually learning how to drive an automobile with a proper operator license. Traffic and road rules at the time were pretty manageable since the number of automobiles in Rome was limited. It was probably more of a physical and technical challenge - marginally synchronized gears, heavy clutch, manually operated functions, multitude of level checks, and to deal with the finicky carburation. Perhaps even having to manually crank the engine with the appropriate lever and muscles, to start the Morris Minor.
Automobiles would go on to be an integral part of Ah'Lek's family and their enjoyment of things to do and things to see. The Morris Minor was just the first of automobiles Ah'Lek would come to own and use in his life and family.
As the years went by, Ah'Lek and C'iohb settled into what they probably thought would be an interlude in their life with this opportunity to be abroad. Ah'Lek worked at producing data reports and analysis of agricultural production, C'iohb tended to their home and raising their son. Alternate summers to home leave were spent on European excursion with their car. A year turned into two years, then three, and before they knew it, almost a decade would go by since they had started on the adventure from Bangkok, and so their second son was born, my time. By then Ah'Lek had realized that in reality, as well as legally, he was a permanent employee of FAO, irrespective of the original arrangements. The 50s become the 60s. The Morris Minor would make way for an Opel, and many other Opels thereafter. In time, they would become part of the last remaining group of people from the original relocation. Italy saw the economic boom of the 60s, the terrorism of the red brigades in the 70s, Pope Pius gave way to Pope John, to Pope Paul, and eventually to Pope John Paul II. A passing of time.
The excitement of being abroad as a young family in Washington DC, a harrowing sea crossing, and the initial post-war era of Rome, were all so clearly etched in memory and remained vivid moments through out the rest of Ah'Lek and C'iohb's lives. They became part of the family's legacy.
Behind the Scenes
The tale is based on documentary evidence, some oral history, some inference, whatever recollection I have of my parents, and thanks also to Facebook for some extraordinary connections.
Ah'Lek, was my father's Thai diminutive nickname which can be translated "the younger uncle". Likewise Ah'Lek's wife and my mother, C'iohb, was one of her known diminutive nicknames.
The Morris Minor
The papers identify the seller as Harold Peter Capozzi of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It turns out that Kevin Capozzi, who is a alumnus of Notre Dame International School in Rome (class of '77), and a Facebook friend of mine, is a nephew of Herb Capozzi, as he was also known. Herb became a politician later in life. The world is small.
The Morris Minor itself can be identified from the few remaining documents. The original sales agreement is dated August 1951. The vehicle was registered in England as LLL908 but apparently licensed in France as I8TT0E. There is one photo of the vehicle with the Rome license plates indicating that it had been nationalized. These few bits would indicate the following:
- it is a left hand drive as one can make out the steering wheel in the photo. Some versions of the Morris Minor were built exclusively for export. So once built it may have been registered and LLL908 should indicate the factory area.
- In 1951 only the Morris Minor MM would have been the version available which is basically the first series.
- Herb was only in Europe for a year and indeed the documentation supports this. The French license I8TT0E would be for a vehicle use in temporary transit and Herb also authorizes the Carnet de Passage en Douanes, a more common document at the time for import duty waivers due to the temporary nature of transits.
- The Rome plates "Roma166665" is consistent with the year. Of interest is that the plates are the earlier 1951 version because the font is Garamond and later changed to a more simplified version.
The Ship
The SS Vulcania's voyage to Italy was a chartered voyage for the FAO undertaking. The ship itself was a well established and prominent plier of the transatlantic route together with its twin, the SS Saturnia. While it was requisitioned during in WWII it was one of the few to be unscathed and returned to commercial relatively quickily upon refurbishment. In 1934 it was the shipped the took Carlo Ponzi to Italy after he was deported for his notorious crimes, later to be known as the Ponzi scheme. The photos of the onboard devastation are from a set of Kodak color sets take by Dr. William R. Collings, Vice President of Dow Corning. Why he was on the ship is not known seeing that it was a chartered voyage by FAO. He took the exceptional color photos and sent a set to Ah'Lek.
コメント