Newhaven may have had a reputation for being insular and guarded about incomers but, ironically, never had any issues about integrating people who came from abroad — probably identifying with the time when craftsmen came from the Continent to build the Great Michael ship.

The businesses of four Italian families — the Crollas, the Gisertiris, the Lannis and the Ranaldis — were well supported and the members of their households highly regarded and fully absorbed into the community.

At the start of WW2, Britain adopted a reasonable policy towards Germans, Austrians and Italians who lived here. The official approach was to identify out of these ‘enemy aliens’ who were anti-Nazi and leave them to stay free in their communities. However, the evacuation from Dunkirk and Mussolini’s declaration of war against Britain on 10 June, 1940 caused Churchill to issue his famous pronouncement “Collar the lot!” As a result, all German and Italian males between 16 and 70 were rounded up, many being interned in a camp on the Isle of Man.

Italy’s entry into the war had immediate and dramatic consequences locally. A riotous rampage of plundering and vandalisation ensued in many cities throughout Britain. Italian-owned shops down the length of Leith Walk and into the Kirkgate were seen as justifiable targets for the mob that assembled.

However, none of the four Italian shops in Newhaven was affected by this wanton destruction that had broken out so close at hand in Leith. This was thanks to the spontaneous stance taken by many villagers, predominantly the womenfolk, to prevent any such attacks.

In Chris Garner’s book, Newhaven: A Scottish Fishing Community 1928-1978 published by Newhaven Heritage, he cites the recollections of shop owner, Joe Ranaldi’s son, Peter.

Before he was ushered away from the scene in case of violence, Peter remembers a crowd of people gathering in the Main Street consisting of his older brothers and their pals together with a collection of other men and women.

They knew that people would be coming from Leith intent on destruction. When the invaders duly arrived, fighting broke out and the incomers were chased away after scuffling in the Main Street. There are stories of women standing against the shop windows, their arms outstretched in order to stop any missiles being thrown at the windows.

If one was looking for an example of community solidarity, this would surely be it and, significantly, women appear to have played a dominant role.

Peter Ranaldi and his family tragically lost their grandfather, Joe Snr, when the Arandora Star was sunk by a U-boat on 2nd July 1940 while transporting detainees and some German prisoners of war to Canada. In all, 805 passengers and crew were lost, including almost three-quarters of the Italian detainees. Joe had been crippled from a young age and it was believed that this left him unable to abandon ship. Ben Crolla, however, was one of the lucky ones to survive and was able to return to the UK and Newhaven after the war.

The Crollas threw a party for all the villagers in Victoria School in celebration of his homecoming. For a few years thereafter the Crolla family also provided a Christmas party for Newhaven’s children free of charge.

Alessandro, or Andrew, Lanni had served during the Great War with the East Yorkshire Regiment and was allowed to join the Pioneer Corps for the duration of the Second World War.

According to Chris Garner’s research, George Gisertiri had failed his driving test 15 times and was considered therefore no threat to Great Britain and was left free. The fact that he was married to Mary, a strong-minded Newhavener, would probably be the more likely reason.

For many years after the war, until the time of Newhaven’s Clearances, the Italian shopkeepers were an integral part of the Newhaven community and their children formed close friendships, playing in Fishermen’s Park, now Great Michael Rise.

Tony Crolla’s ice cream shop was at the bus stop that came up the short brae to St Andrew’s Square and turned onto Main Street on its way to Leith.

Joe Ranaldi Jnr reopened his sweet shop and café in the hexagonal building built as part of the village’s redevelopment at the foot of Great Michael Rise.

Mary and George Gisertiri maintained their reputation for the best fish and chips in Newhaven at the far western end of Main Street. It was a magnet for local children who would often be lucky enough to be given a bag of the batter crumbs from the fish-fryer.

And Andrew Lanni along with his wife and two daughters continued to run his well patronised shop in Anchorfield for many years after the war selling morning papers and cigarettes to the workers from Newhaven employed at Henry Robb’s, Leith’s foremost shipbuilders. ■

Gordon Young

Info: newhavenheritage@gmail.com