Ich schicke Ihnen hier einen Brief von Herrn Boccaccio aus Turin an meine Großmutter Giuseppina, in dem er die letzten Tage meines Großvaters Ernesto beschreibt. Ich schicke Ihnen auch ein Foto meines Großvaters Ernesto. Ich las den Brief immer wieder und musste weinen. Ich bin froh, dass es Ihre Initiative gibt – ich kann mir eine Zukunft ohne Erinnerung nicht vorstellen.
„Turin, 2.8.45
Sehr geehrte Frau,
Ich habe Ihren Einschreibebrief erhalten, auf den ich umgehend antworte. Ich verstehe, dass Sie sich Auskünfte erwarten, wenn sie auch für Sie und Ihre beiden Kinder sehr schmerzhaft sind. Wie ich dem Informationsbüro in Bozen schon mitteilte, bestätige ich Ihnen nun brieflich, dass mein seliger KZ-Kamerad Ernesto Venegoni am Morgen des 27.3.45 nach vierzig Tagen Krankheit im Krankenrevier des Konzentrationslagers Linz gestorben ist, wo er mit mir eine Pritsche teilte. Dorthin wurde er am 16.2.45 überstellt, weil er an TBC erkrankt war, was auf die Strafen, den Hunger und die schweren Arbeiten zurückzuführen war, nicht zuletzt auch auf die Schläge, die uns unsere Henker von der deutschen SS verpassten. Was sein Abzeichen mit der Häftlingsnummer anlangt, so übergab ich es einem Kriegsgefangenen, den ich in Linz kennengelernt hatte. Er hatte mir erklärt, dass er aus Legnano wäre, und mir versichert, dass er sofort nach seiner Ankunft in Legnano seiner Pflicht nachkommen würde. Ich notierte ihm Ihre Adresse, die mir der arme Ernesto zwei Tage vor seinem Tod hinterlassen hatte, auf einem Zettel, ebenso den Tag seiner Überstellung in das Krankenrevier, den Tag seines Todes und die Häftlingsnummer. Ich kann nicht verstehen, wie jemand auf eine derart wichtige Aufgabe vergessen kann. Es war mein Fehler, dass ich in diesem Moment nicht daran dachte, nach seinem Namen zu fragen, aber sicher ist Ihnen begreiflich, dass ich in guter Absicht handelte. Falls Sie sich für ihn interessieren, sehr geehrte Frau, es ist ein Militärinternierter, der am 17. Juni gemeinsam mit uns politisch Verfolgten von Linz in Richtung Italien abreiste, am 19. Juni in Bozen ankam, und gewiss am 20.7.45 in Ihrer Stadt.
Um nun zum liebenswerten Verstorbenen zurückzukommen, so kann ich Ihnen versichern, dass er stets mit großer Zuneigung von Ihnen sprach, ebenso von Ihren beiden Kindern, vom Bruder, kurzum von der ganzen Familie. Aber besonders häufig sprach er von den Kindern, er erklärte, dass das Mädchen liebenswürdig war, der Junge braunhaarig, dass beide ausgesprochen rechtschaffen und auch anhänglich waren.
Er litt sehr unter dieser schlimmen Krankheit, gegen die er von diesen Bestien weder Medikamente noch sonst eine Behandlung erhielt. Er starb bei wachem Verstand und dachte dabei an Sie, sehr geehrte Frau, an seine Mutter, die er in den schlimmsten Momenten anrief, und auch an die Kinder.
Und nun, sehr geehrte Frau, höre ich auf, da es auch für mich äußerst schmerzhaft ist, diesen Brief zu schreiben.
Ich lade Sie hier in mein Haus ein, sobald es Ihnen möglich ist, damit ich Ihnen besser und ausführlicher von all den Monaten im Konzentrationslager erzählen kann, die ich dort gemeinsam mit dem seligen Verstorbenen Ernesto Venegoni verbrachte.
Nehmen Sie und auch Ihre lieben Kinder das von mir und meiner Frau zutiefst empfundene Mitgefühl entgegen.
Ernesto Boccaccio, Torino”
Roberto Venegoni
Roberto Venegoni ist der Enkel von Ernesto Venegoni.
Aus dem Italienischen von Ralf Lechner
I enclose a scan of the letter of Mr. Boccaccio from Turin to my grandmother Giuseppina, in which Mr. Boccaccio tells a few things about the last days of my grandfather Ernesto. I send you a photograph of my grandfather Ernesto. In reading the letter for the umpteenth time I cried, I am very pleased to know that your initiative. Can not think of the future without memory.
Roberto Venegoni
"Torino 2/8/45
Signora,
ho ricevuto la sua lettera raccomandata, perciò subito le rispondo, comprendo la sua attesa di notizie che sono molto dolorose per lei e per i suoi due bambini. Come già comunicai all'Ufficio Informazioni di Bolzano, ora per lettera affermo che il povero mio compagno di prigionia, Venegoni Ernesto, morì nella medesima branda all'infermeria del Campo di Concentramento di Linz nelle prime ore del 27/3/45 dopo quaranta giorni di malattia. Era stato ricoverato il 16/2/45 affetto da T.B.C. Causata dalle punizioni, fame, lavori pesanti e botte somministrate dai nostri carnefici; le SS tedesche. A riguardo della sua targhetta con numero di matricola l'ho consegnata ad un prigioniero di guerra che conobbi a Linz, che si dichiarò di Legnano e mi assicurò che una volta arrivato nella vostra città subito avrebbe adempiuto al suo dovere. Gli avevo scritto su un biglietto il suo indirizzo lasciatomi dal povero Ernesto due giorni prima di morire, il giorno che venne ricoverato in infermeria e la data della sua morte e la targhetta. Non riesco a comprendere come un uomo abbia potuto dimenticarsi di un così importante incarico. Il mio torto è che in quel momento non pensai di domandargli il suo nome e cognome, ma come di sicuro lei comprenderà io agii con fiducia. Provi a interessarsi lei Signora, è un internato militare partito con noi internati politici il 17 giugno da Linz per l'Italia, arrivato a Bolzano il 19 giugno di sicuro nella vostra città il 20/7/45.
Ed ora ritornando al caro scomparso, vi posso assicurare che sempre si ricordò con grande affetto di lei Signora, dei suoi due bambini, di suo fratello di tutti insomma di famiglia. Poi parlava spesso dei bambini e si spiegava che la bambina era buona, bruno il maschietto, tutti e due molto bravi e affezionati.
Soffrì molto a causa della brutta malattia senza avere nessun rimedio né cura da parte di quelle belve morì con lucidità di mente pensando a lei, Signora, alla sua mamma che invocava nei momenti tristi, ai bambini.
Ed ora, Signora, smetto perchè questa lettera è molto dolorosa anche per me a scriverla.
L'attendo qui a casa mia appena potrà, per spiegarle meglio e più a lungo di tutti i mesi passati insieme in concentramento con il povero scomparso, Venegoni Ernesto. Riceva lei e i suoi cari bambini le più sentite condoglianze da parte mia e di mia moglie.
Boccaccio Ernesto,
Torino"
I am sending you a letter from Mr. Boccaccio from Turin to my grandmother Giuseppina, in which he describes my grandfather Ernesto’s final days. I am also sending a photograph of my grandfather Ernesto. I read the letter over and over and could not but weep. I am pleased that your initiative exists – I cannot imagine a future without memory.
‘Turin, 2.8.45
My dear lady
I received your letter by registered post, to which I am replying immediately. I understand that you are awaiting information, even if this is very painful for you and your two children. As I already told the information office in Bolzano, I now confirm to you by letter that my late concentration camp comrade, Ernesto Venegoni, died on the morning of 27.3.45 after fourteen days of illness in the infirmary of the Linz concentration camp, where he shared a bunk with me. He had been transferred there on 16.2.45 because he had fallen ill with TBC, which was a result of the punishments, the hunger and the heavy work, and not least the beatings which our torturers from the German SS gave us. As regards his tag with his prisoner number, I gave it to a prisoner of war whom I had got to know in Linz. He told me he was from Legnano and promised me that he would carry out his duty as soon as he got back to Legnano. I wrote down your address for him, which poor Ernesto had left for me two days before his death, on a scrap of paper, also the date of his transfer to the infirmary, the date of his death and the prisoner number. I cannot understand how someone could forget such an important task. It was my mistake not to have thought in that moment to ask for his name, but surely you can understand that I acted in good faith. In case you are interested in finding him, dear lady, he was a military internee who left Linz for Italy on 17 June with us political prisoners, arrived in Bolzano on 19 June, and surely on 20.7.45 in your town.
And now to come back to the beloved deceased, I can assure you that he always spoke of you with great affection, likewise of your two children, of his brother, in short of the whole family. But he spoke especially often of the children, telling how the girl was amiable, how the boy had brown hair, that both were decidedly honest and also devoted.
He suffered greatly from this terrible disease, to fight which he received neither medicine nor any other form of treatment from these beasts. He died with a clear head and thoughts of you, dear lady, of his mother, to whom he called out in the worst moments, and also of the children. And now, dear lady, I come to an end, since it is extremely painful for me too to write this letter.
I invite you here to my home as soon as it is possible for you so that I can tell you more and in greater detail about all the months in the concentration camp, which I spent there together with the beloved late Ernesto Venegoni.
Please accept my and my wife’s deepest sympathies for you and also your dear children.
