Domenico Clemente B. 1893.

Choosing a favourite family photo is an almost impossible task 

I am lucky to have so many to choose from both old and new and also lucky to apparently come from a family of hoarders. 

Taking the task at hand and deciding on old photos I have chosen a picture of my great grandfather, in fact a copy of this picture came with me inside my wallet when I first began by independent travels at the age of 17,he came with me for my life in Spain and Portugal and he will be continuing with me on my journeys in the future. 

When I look at this picture, which I do often, I see the proud man he once was I also see traits of myself and my cousin’s I think it’s the way he stands. 

Let me tell you a little about the man in the picture. 

Born Dominico Clemente in 1893 second child and first son of the Giuseppe Clementi and Arcangela Di Mambro. 

We assume Dom did most of his growing up within the Italian quarter of Birmingham and we know that he returned to Italy for service in the Italian Army, being discharged after the First World War. 

At some point he met with my great grandmother and fell in love, they had six children together one of which being my grandmother Farina. 

Dominico trained to be a mechanic within the Italian army and on his return to England set up a garage in Lichfield, part of which exists today, only a wall in a car park, but still! 

The advent of the second world war saw times change for Dominico and his family. Unlike many other Italians he was never interned during the Second World War, and we don’t know the reason why not. This meant he was never fully accepted by the English community and neither by the Italians that were left behind, he was out on a limb. Times changed, this period became sad times, life became hard for the family. A time from which he never really recovered from. Domenico’s life came to an end in 1952 with my great grandmother being immensely upset about his departure. 

His name still carries on through the family, and his stories will never be forgotten.