Wharf Mill, Bury - Italian internees, WWII - Matania

Interior view of Wharf Mill, Bury, Lancashire, a former mill and bleaching factory, which was used to intern Italian prisoners during the Second World War. The building was dilapidated, with puddles and grease on the floors, and consequently most uncomfortable for inmates, many of whom were then sent onwards to the Isle of Man. The painting is by Italian artist Fortunino Matania, who had lived in the UK since 1904, was special artist of The Sphere magazine and had painted hundreds of pictures during the First World War from the Allied point of view. Matania was briefly interned, part of the British government's Collar the lot! policy during war, but later released. It is likely that the figure standing, centre left, is him

Bury Dilapidated Fortunino Imprisoned Inmates Intern Interned Internee Internees Italians Jan16 Matania Wharf

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