Albert Edward Penny
Leading Seaman, JX/125054, Royal Navy, HM Submarine Oswald
Albert Edward Penny served on board the HM submarine Oswald in British Navy operations against the Axis in the Mediterranean. On the night of 2 August 1942, his submarine was intercepted by the Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi, and, after a brief exchange of fire, it was sunk. The crew had to spend a few hours at sea before being rescued by the destroyer.
The prisoners, including Albert, were brought to Taranto by the Ugolino Vivaldi and then kept inside the local military hospital for about two days. After that, Albert was transferred to the island of Poveglia, in Venice, to the Sulmona prison camp, and finally to PG 68, Vetralla, near Viterbo. Here, he began plotting his escape, planning to reach the Vatican to plead for protection.
On 5 October 1942, Albert decided to put his plan into motion. He had an Italian accomplice whom he had met in Cura di Vetralla during his work shift outside the camp
During all this research I had become very friendly with one of the plumbers who, seeing that I always worked in a civilian shirt persistently suggested that I should escape. Eventually I decided that if he were trustworthy, he would be a very valuable ally, as he had an old cycle that I might perhaps be able to buy with my watch which he was always coveting.
Therefore, Albert planned to dress as an Italian civilian and to move with his accomplice’s bicycle to reach the Vatican. On the day of his escape, Albert dyed his hair with oil and cinder to better blend in with the Italians. However, he soon discovered that the bicycle he got was different from the model he expected. Nonetheless, as he had no alternative, he took it and walked to the camp’s exit. Once outside, beyond several checkpoints, Albert was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief:
Since I had first entered the lane, I had passed numerous soldiers returning to the camp, and on the hill, I found they were even more numerous, but I reached the top undetected and remounted my machine. Once I was underway, my confidence returned, and as soon as I had passed the majority of the soldiers, I stopped to light an Italian cigarette. On reaching La Cura I tore along as fast as I could pedal.
However, Albert soon realised he still had some distance to cover to reach the Vatican and that the road was dangerous, as there were many checkpoints. He cleverly decided, every time he was close to one of these checkpoints, to pretend his bicycle was malfunctioning and join a passing group of cyclists. In this way, he avoided drawing too much attention to himself.
After I had got past Sutri and passed through a small village and climbed up a steepish hill, I heard cheering from children from the village and the sound of a powerful motor running.
I thought the cheering might be for soldiers who might be chasing me. From there to Campagnano the road winds down hill, zig zag fashion, and before I could spot the roadblock, I was actually on it.
Nonetheless, Albert was not spotted by the enemy at the Rome checkpoint and thus entered the outer city, heading to Ponte Milvio, then through Ponte Duca D’Aosta, and finally to Mussolini’s Forum. He continued in this way into the city itself, joining another group of cyclists to blend in. However, he realised he had gone too far and had passed Vatican City, as he spotted Saint Peter’s dome getting further away from his position. So Albert decided to take another road, cross the Tiber, and go through Borgo Santo Spirito.
I went up to the gate of Santa Marta but found that most of the workmen were leaving the Vatican, and I decided that it was no time for me to enter as a workman, especially as a very obvious plain-clothes policeman was eyeing me suspiciously. I decided that it was best to keep on the move.
Albert continued to observe the situation from the opposite side of the road for about twenty minutes, trying to understand what people were doing, especially the cyclists who entered the Vatican. When he realised that the guards did not thoroughly check these, Albert decided to try his luck, speeding towards the gates. He passed the guards and the carabinieri at the entrance, who, evidently, thought he was a passer-by and did not even stop him.
This led me to the garage where I hid my bicycle in case I required it again, took off my safety-pin clips, walked around with a little notebook in my hand and, busily writing in the notebook, passed the sentries. They absolutely ignored me.
After about half an hour, Albert was finally able to enter the Vatican proper and begin searching for an office that would allow him to contact the British embassy. Since he did not know where to go or whom to approach, he pretended to be a deaf-mute and wrote his questions on a piece of paper he handed to some workmen he encountered.
Pretending to be deaf mute, I approached the dullest-looking Italian workman I could find working alone and wrote in my notebook “Dove è Delegazione Inglese?” [Where is the English Delegation?]. He showed me to the delegation, where I turned myself over to the gendarme guarding the place whom it was impossible to pass. He telephoned to the head of his department (Commendatore Belardo) who instructed him to turn me over to the British Minister pending enquiries.
Initially, Albert felt a deep sense of insecurity while staying in Vatican City, as he doubted the Vatican had much negotiating power with Italy. To make progress, the British ambassador proposed an exchange of prisoners, and Albert even wrote a letter to the Pope in order to speed up the negotiations. In the end, the exchange proposal was accepted, and Albert, who had been living much like a prisoner under house arrest in the British delegation, was able to leave.
I had a private audience with the His Holiness Pope Pius XII on Monday 28 Dec. I waited for him in the Sala Tronetto where he gave me his Benediction. Conversing in English, which he did reasonably well, he said he was very pleased to be able to meet me and give me his blessing. He also gave me a rosary. He asked me a few questions about my wife and family and then personally went back to bring another rosary for my wife. Two days later I received a signed photograph of him.
After his meeting with the Pope, Albert left Rome on 3 January 1943 and, after a short stop in Palma de Mallorca, his plane landed in Lisbon. There, he boarded a ship and finally returned to the United Kingdom on 22 January 1943.
Camps related to this story
Sources
TNA, WO 208 3312/1038