Hundreds of lives were lost when the SS Arandora Star was torpedoed in July 1940. Writer and entertainer Stefano Paolini discusses the event and its legacy.
When Italy entered the war on the side of the Germans, it sealed the fate of hundreds of innocent Italians resident in Britain. Churchill instructed British authorities to “Collar the lot!” meaning immediate arrest and internment at camps such as Warth Mills in Bury.
Based on his book, Missing Presumed Drowned, Stefano Paolini describes the events leading up to mass internment through to the sinking of the SS Arandora Star and the effect on Italian families in post-war Britain.
Stefano Paolini is a popular face on the comedy circuit and was runner up in So You Think Your Funny (2001) and runner up in the BBC New Comedy Awards (2002). He has performed all over the UK and abroad, including Germany, Malta, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Doha, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar. Stefano is also an author and published his debut book, Missing Presumed Drowned, in 2015.
