To prevent similar attacks 5 ton concrete barriers were to be built and dropped into open channels to block access. A severe shortage of manpower at home meant the labour to carry off this complex challenge had to be found elsewhere. Orkney‟s Italian Chapel is the outcome of the decision to use 1200 Italian Prisoners of War, hand-picked from those who had been captured during Britain‟s North African Campaign, chosen for their abilities and to eliminate those with strong fascist beliefs. After an arduous journey, the Italians eventually arrived in Camp 60, a collection of stark Nissen Huts tentatively built on the inhospitable island of Lamb Holm. Amongst them were sculptor and artist Domenico Chiocchetti; stonemason Domenico Buttapasta; Giuseppe Palumbi, a blacksmith, skilled in the art of fero battuto, electricians Assunto Micheloni and Michele De Vito, signors Sforza, a carpenter and player of the harmonium, Barcaglioni and Battiato, bricklayers, Gerbino Rocco, a doctor and Father Giacobazzi, a priest. Chiocchetti, Palumbi and Giacobazzi were the inspiration and catalyst, encouraging the evolution of the Chapel into something emotionally and spiritually uplifting. There were others, too numerous to mention, who also foraged - and were sometimes given - paint, tiles, concrete and scrap metal. They used learned skills, creativity, imagination, passion and hard labour to transform scraps into works of art and two flimsy Nissen Huts into a place of worship and learning. Major Buckland, Camp 60‟s Commandant was protector and facilitator. Unlike many similar buildings created by PoWs, Orkney‟s Italian Chapel was preserved and has been maintained, enabling it to become an iconic symbol of hope, peace and humankind‟s ability to transcend misunderstandings, cultural differences and adversity.
“Is it possible that a prison becomes so important? […] it’s possible when only there have you been able to express your potential.” Renato, son of Giuseppe Palumbi
Source: Orkney’s Italian Chapel: the True Story of an Icon by Philip Paris, Black & White Publishing (ISBN 978184502529-8)
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