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Andrea Lorenzetti 1907 - 1945 Edit

Born 26.5.1907 in Ancona
Died 17.5.1945 in Gusen

Biography

Andreas Lorenzetti was born into a humble family. His father was a sales representative and his mother a housewife. At the age of 16 he graduated as a bookkeeper and immediately went to work in a bank in Ancona. After some years he moved to Milan and worked at the Crédit Commercial de France, until joining the company of Antonio Foglia in 1934, where he traded on the stock exchange. In 1937 he was promoted to company secretary. When at first it seemed that this position would require him to join the Fascist Party, Andrea was prepared to turn the position down. The earliest information about his underground political activity dates from the year 1942, when he took part in planning meetings for the reestablishment of the PSI (Socialist Party of Italy). Immediately after the armistice he was present at a meeting held in the offices of Antonio Foglia with representatives of the nascent Liberation Committee, which sought to undermine German occupation. At the end of 1943 he replaced Domenico Viotto, a representative of the PSIUP (Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity) on the Liberation Committee in Milan who had been forced to leave Italy. At the beginning of 1944, Lorenzetti, along with Cirenei, Pieraccini and Valcarenghi, became a member of the central committee of the party for northern Italy. His main role was editing and distributing the underground paper Avanti, which appeared almost every week, a total of 28 editions between September 1943 and May 1944. Together with comrades from the PCI (Communist Party of Italy) he was one of the organisers of the strikes of 1 March 1944. The harsh repressive measures which followed the wave of strikes, and probably also denunciations, led to the arrest of the entire leadership of the PSI. Andrea was detained on 10 March 1944, was held in isolation until 27 April in Milan’s San Vittore jail, and was then taken to the Fossoli transit camp, where he remained until August. Then, with a few days spent in the Bolzano camp, the transport continued to Germany. The journey ended at the worst subcamp of Mauthausen, the Gusen camp. Andrea managed to hold on until the liberation of the camp on 5 May 1945. On 15 May he died in the hospital of the US Army in Gusen. Shortly before his death he called over his friend Aldo Ravelli, who was like a brother to him, and dictated his testament given here:

‘My dears,

all the files are held at the Banca Privata Finanziaria. Taglioretti and Foglia know about them. I wish for Ravelli to be informed of the financial situation and that, together with the former, he administrates the money and gives it to my wife, my mother and sister, so that little Guido is taken care of.

I wish for Guido to be raised according to the principles that governed my life. I ask my loved ones to forgive me the pain I have caused them, I regret none of what I have done, although I have suffered so much, and I would be prepared to start again from the beginning, so do not pity me.

You are all in my thoughts. I embrace you. Gusen, on 15 May 1945.

Andrea Lorenzetti’

 

Shortly after he had signed the document, Andrea died.

Guido Lorenzetti

 

ANED, Milan section

 

Translation into English: Joanna White

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