Giovanna Freddi

After the Armistice, South African PoWs working at the Confallonera farmhouse, a labour detachment of PG 146 in Mortara, escaped from the facility and took refuge in the surrounding woods, where they were found and helped by local people. Giovanna Freddi, then twenty years old, together with her family, also took part in this rescue effort:

My maternal grandmother, who had gone to the countryside to look for edible herbs, […] came back shaken and frightened, saying that someone was hiding in a cornfield near Cascinetta and had been watching her the whole time.

Giovanna and her mother realised who it might be and decided to take action: “With my mother’s agreement, I filled a bag with bread, wine, water, cheese, and apples and forced my grandmother, who didn’t want to hear about it anymore, to return to that place.” The girl left the bag of food at the edge of the field and left. In the evening, she spoke with her father, Luigi. The man, who had been a prisoner during the First World War, expressed his willingness to help the Allied soldiers, although he needed some time to organise everything properly.Giovanna, however, continued on her own. The next day, worried about the men after a violent storm had hit the area overnight, she returned to the camp and discovered that the bag she left was empty: “I then made big gestures inviting them to come out, and finally I saw a man emerging from the bushes.” It was Basil Resemberger (Ven), a 35-year-old South African soldier, whom Giovanna later invited to her home. The following day, having learned that two more soldiers were still hiding in the vegetation, she went back to rescue them: they were Louis and Sidney. With the help of some relatives, the three soldiers found shelter in several houses in the area.

After about a month, however, the Germans reached the village of Ferrera and searched many houses in pursuit of the prisoners. During the searches, Giovanna’s father and other heads of families were lined up against a wall under machine-gun fire. Ven, Louis, and Sidney managed to escape, while other Allied soldiers were recaptured and their helpers arrested. After these events, it became clear that keeping the three men at home was becoming increasingly dangerous: Ven stayed put, while Louis and Sidney were escorted by Giovanna to the woods near Cascina Pia, an area said to have provided refuge to other Allied soldiers.

Meanwhile, Giovanna turned to the village priest, Don Baccerella, to organise the young men’s escape to Switzerland. Through the Vigevano diocese, the priest contacted a group of volunteers who soon picked up the young men and helped them cross the Alps.

When the appointed day arrived, my uncle Luigi and I accompanied the three by bicycle to Valeggio, where a car was waiting for them in front of the castle. After quick farewells and hurried thanks, the last image I have is of their hands waving to us from the car windows as it drove away.

Giovanna heard nothing from the three soldiers for a long time. Two years after their departure, she received a letter from Sidney, who, having returned home to South Africa, told her about the escape and subsequent stay in Switzerland, expressing his gratitude for all she had done. Over the years, their correspondence never ceased, and Sidney returned to Italy in 1972 to meet Giovanna.

Giuseppe Zucca, Giovanna’s son, also recounts how the three South Africans made a pact before returning home: to wear red socks for life in memory of their fallen comrades and as a sign of gratitude to those who helped them. This commitment was honored by Sidney throughout his life and sparked curiosity and admiration in his hometown, Port Elizabeth, where some young people created the association “Red Socks on Friday”, which still today is dedicated to remembrance and charity.