Читать книгу Memories Of Our Days - Chiara Cesetti - Страница 13

1 Chapter IX

1918

Back at his battalion, Rudi was engaged on the sidelines, no more at the front. The war there did not look so frightening.

After that terrible day on October 24th, 1917 when the Austro-German broke through the Italian armies and invaded Friuli, several events had taken place. On November 9th Marshal Cadorna had given his place to General Armando Diaz. What was mostly worrying about the war was the situation in Russia, where on November 8th the Bolshevik got the power and now they were preparing to ask for the armistice to keep an eye on the internal situation. This was a huge problem for the Coalition which following Brest-Litovsk peace agreement on March 3rd, 1918, the Russian army was not part of its army anymore.

People feared the worst. Boys born in 1919 were called in to go to war. Boys who were born in December of that year were not 18 yet.

The new Italian headquarters tried to organise themselves fast. At the front, the troops tried to hold on courageously against the enemies.

The last determining offensive started on Mount Grappa on October 24th, 1918 and on November 3rd the victorious Italian army was in Trento. At six o’clock in the afternoon the armistice was signed at Villa Giusti.

On November 4^th, the Italians got the news from the newspapers:

‘The Italian army is in Trento and Trieste.

Supreme Command, November 3rd (7pm)

Our troops have occupied Trento and have landed in Trieste. The Italian flag is flapping on the Castello del Buon Consiglio and on the Torre di San Giusto. Sections of the cavalry have reached Udine. Signed A. Diaz.’

That Monday the Italians read or got someone to read it for them over and over again the war bulletin no. 1278 released by the Supreme Command:

-The war against Austria Hungary, led by HM the King- Supreme Commander- the Italian army was outnumbered and was not endowed with many means, started on May 24^th, 1915 and with firm faith and tenacious courage led a continuous and harsh resistance for 41 months, it was won.

The huge battle engaged on last October, 24^th, which involved 51 Italian divisions, three British divisions , two French divisions, one Czechoslovakian division and one American regiment against 73Austro-Hungarian divisions is over.

The quick long awaited advance on behalf of the 29^th army corps in Trento, blocking the roads for retreat to the enemy troops of Trentino blown over in the west by the 7th army troops and in the east by the 1^st, 6^th and 4^th army troops, caused yesterday the complete destruction of the enemy front.

From river Brenta to river Torre the overpowering effort of the 12^th, 8th and 10th army and the cavalry divisions push the fleeing enemy back.

In the S.A.R. plain the Duke of Aosta rapidly advances leading his undefeated 3rd army eager to go back to the positions which they had already victoriously conquered which were never lost.

The Austro-Hungarian army is defeated: they suffered heavy losses during the tenacious resistance during the first days of battle and during the chasing; they lost huge amounts of materials of any kind and almost all their warehouses and deposits; so far he left in our hands about 300 thousand prisoners and all the commanding officers and no less than 5 thousand cannons.

What was left of one of the most powerful armies in the worlds are getting back up the valleys that they had previously descended with proud confidence all scattered and without any hope.

Signed A. Diaz -

It was the end of a nightmare.

Giovanni had dashed back home from the village after buying the newspaper and now, surrounded by the women and sitting at the kitchen table, he was reading the latest news aloud, his voice was cracking up from time to time.

Maria was nervously rubbing her apron and said in a soft voice – Thank God, at last it is all over!- Ada was keeping her hands on her chest, as if she was trying to keep her heart which was beating so fast that she could not speak.

Giulia, standing behind Giovanni, was reading quietly with eager eyes the lines that he was reading loud, eager to get to the bottom of the page

-Rudi is coming back home, everybody is coming home- she was repeating to herself. The last letter dated back two months earlier and had he had reassured her about his health condition. She could have hugged him again and go back to the everyday life.

Giovanni finished reading and his eyes were wet.

-I’ll go to the village. People are organising a parade to celebrate the victory. I’ll bring the kids with me.-

-Only Antonino e Clara, not the little ones- Giulia said worried.

-It is a memorable day, people will remember it forever. Why you don’t want them to come? The whole village will be there…-

-That’s why- she reiterated – they could get lost

-I’ll be happy to come- Ada said, the lump in her throat was loosening up and was giving way to an anxiety that she could only get rid of by doing something.

-What about you?- Giovanni asked the others.

-I’d rather stay at home- Giulia replied.

-So do I- Maria added.

They got ready and they got on the buggy. The children felt the excitement in the air and were waving little paper flags that the twins had coloured, crammed on the seat, one on top of the other. They headed off all excited to the village full of the joys of spring, where everyone was celebrating in the streets and the local marching band was playing the royal march, which now was the National anthem.

They got there just on time to see the parade arriving. Clara and Antonino jumped off the buggy and ran under the makeshift stage, where the authorities could praise in turns the great deeds of the Italian troops. The marching band would play national anthems in between the various speeches. Everybody clapped their hands when they heard the pretentious sound of the words Nation and Italy.

To be free to run round among the crowds would excite the little ones who were chasing one another boisterously making the most of the general leeway. The old veterans were waving the flags and women were hugging happily. Agnese and Luciano would have liked to follow their siblings but Ada’s hands held them tight. She would often stumble when one would pull from one side and the other from the other side. That would go on until with a tug she would put an end to all that. Giovanni had moved away and was involved in a heated conversation in the middle of the square with a group of men.

When the parade broke down in a shouting crowd, Ada went over to him and asked him to go home. She felt tired and the November stinging and damp air convinced her to go back home despite the celebrations were still going on, worried that the little ones could get sick.

They went back home despite the children were complaining and unhappy to go home, the day should have been endless for them.

Ada was complaining about a bad headache and said that she would go to bed while everyone else had a load of things to do.

The following morning she did not get up, her headache was worse and she also had a little temperature. They forbid the children to go into her room, making sure they would not make too much noise. They were used to be told – Don’t make too much noise, auntie Ada is not well- so they decided to do quieter activities on that day.

Over the next few days her health condition got worse. The temperature was higher and she was complaining of pains in her joints. She had shivers and no cover would keep her warm.

They sent for the doctor. After visiting her, dr Marinucci went downstairs to the kitchen and was visibly concerned.

-Giovanni , I am sorry, but I fear that she has the Spanish flu- he said sorrowful- I thought that the epidemic was nearly gone, that the worse was over, but there are still some sick people in the village and I really believe that Ada is one of these-

Everybody feared this news and they were speechless.

-The Spanish flu? Are you sure doctor?-

-I fear so. I saw too many of these cases-

-What can we do?- Giovanni asked with a sigh.

-Give her quinine morning and night. Hopefully it won’t be as infective as it was at the beginning-

-What about the children? – Giulia asked.

- It is pointless to take them somewhere else. The chance to get infected is everywhere. Try to keep them far from their aunt and often ventilate the rooms. There’s nothing else that you can do. I’ll come back tomorrow to see her again-

Giovanni took the doctor to the door, leaving the women in their silence.

-You know it better than me- he said to him when they were on the doorstep- don’t keep your hopes high. I have recently seen very young and extremely healthy people die in a few days. That is the last tragic consequence of the war. This is probably the war we fought at home. Come on, I’ll see you tomorrow.-

They shook hands. Giovanni was sick with worry. Dr Marinucci saw him and his children being born, he was an old doctor who had carried out his job with dignity, and suffered with the limited means that medicine would offer at the time. In those few words he could sense the tiredness and the despondency of a person who can’t cope anymore with all the pains and sufferings he had been experiencing over the years plus he was getting older and everything was becoming too much and was pushing him to retire.

The epidemic had been terrible and had infected children, young people and old people. The death toll was huge and in the village there were no more coffins to bury them. The dead bodies were brought to the graveyard on a cart and buried underground. It had been like a horrible axe on the population already tired down by years of war. Whole families had been destroyed. Only a few weeks before, two very young sisters had died within a few days’ time; the mother’s grieving, among many other people’s, had particularly upset the whole village.

Giovanni’s mind was crossed by these thoughts and their burden seemed to drop on his shoulders all of a sudden. He fought with himself to try and keep them at bay and get back a little hope to let him give reassurance to the others once back in the house.