Interview with Alessandro Biffi

Alessandro Biffi’s father, Alberto Severo Biffi, was born in Monza, Italy and immigrated to Montreal in 1912. He was arrested while on his lunch break at work in June of 1940 and interned as an enemy alien in Petawawa for two years during World War II. In this second interview, Alessandro Biffi recalls a family friend named Professor Giuseppe Nelli who was interned at Bordeaux Jail despite having little involvement in the fascio or with the Italian community. Biffi records the struggles of Nelli as he has no descendants to keep his memory or story alive. Professor Nelli was an Italian professor at McGill and Biffi believes that his stay in jail, although brief, was probably a serious stressor on his life. He recalls that Nelli did not seem healthy or happy after his internment and died soon after.