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Pina Mitton

Giuseppina ‘Pina’ Mitton

Women of Cornforth

Giuseppina Luigia Cecilia Ventura Mitton was born in 1927 in Civitavecchia, near Rome. Her father owned a restaurant and she spent her young life in a loving family. Two younger brothers, Alberto and Vittorio adored her, their beautiful big sister.

In one day, the family lost everything when the Americans bombed the harbour. They left for Rome where my mother became a secretary to the Countess of Rome who was in charge of the Red Cross. The Countess needed to protect the palaces from the occupying forces so my mother and her family found themselves occupying a floor of the Prince’s Palace next door to the Volpi Palace.

When the Allies liberated Rome they took over the Palace as an administrative Headquarters. My dad was a Sergeant in the RAF and the driver for Air Vice Marshal Brodie. Each day as he waited for the AV Marshal to attend meetings, he noticed this beautiful young auburn haired Italian girl going to work.

Eventually he met her, and her family and the courting began, although never ever without a chaperone who was either my grandmother or one of her brothers. My mam was 16, my dad was 32.

They were married in Rome, in 1947, when my mam was 20. Their honeymoon was beside Lake Como and then they returned to England.

1947 was one of the worst winters recorded with huge volumes of snow and bitter temperatures. My mam had never seen snow. She spoke little English and there were many challenges in this new life. Her beautiful auburn hair was cut off by order of my aunts and her hair permed. She told me how she sobbed but didn’t have the language to defy them. The women in the Mitton family were tough. My parents lived with my Auntie Nellie and Uncle Wille at 7 Coronation Terrace where my mam had to black lead the grate and learn to cook on the fire with one cold tap and an outside toilet. Harsh days, but my Uncle Wille was like a dad to her and protected her when he could. My mam was then pregnant but the toil didn’t cease. Suffering serious pernicious anaemia and malnutrition, she gave birth to my sister, Ann who died after three days.

In September1949 she had me, Anna Maria, at home in her little sanctuary in Ryhope Street. She loved her own little place. Next door was Uncle George and Auntie Mary Chatt who loved and cared for my mam and me. I grew up with all the love she could give me. Her life was difficult and challenging with my dad, who was a product of his own harsh background. She remained loyal to him his whole life.

My mam and dad loved dancing and were very good. The dances at the Welfare were highlights of the week.

Then the council houses were built at the top of the village and we moved into 18 Salisbury Crescent.

My mam went to work at the clothing factory in Ferryhill at a time when many women were housewives. She needed to work in order to save money to return to Rome to see her beloved family. She took me for the first time, however, when I was in a carrycot, crossing the channel and changing trains across Europe all alone. When she returned she was also carrying a complete Italian crystal chandelier which was much admired and remains in my home today.

She then went to work at Smart and Brown’s where she made friends but also met ignorance and insult. However, she was highly thought of and became the translator for the management when their Italian business partners came.

When my dad died my mam came across to live near me in Carlisle. She made a new life but still went back to Cornforth every month to attend the Legion meetings where she had many true friends. She was very proud of her British Legion membership and kept in touch.

She loved my friends and they loved her. Our house was always open. There was always food on the go as she was a wonderful cook even though it was many, many years before Pasta and peppers arrived!

Although she had been forbidden to speak Italian, because she had to learn English, she still managed to teach me and we used to chat in Italian if we didn’t want others to overhear! Naughty, I know but how we giggled. As she became unwell she spent most of her time with us. She loved James Bond, particularly PercyBrosnan. The family she adored, my husband Mal, her grandsons, Nigel, Stephen and Christopher and I, were her world and we miss her every day.

When she died we held her wake in her favourite Italian restaurant in Carlisle, Adriano’s with Italian food and plenty of wine. She had bought her own plot in the Cemetery near us and used to go past saying, “That is where I will be resting.” And she is, with her photograph and the words…To the world she was just one, but she was all the world to us…

And she is irreplaceable. Anna M. Johnston [Mitton]