Looking for help Rajko Tavčar (Tavcar)

[Greensleeves]

In 1940 the fascist Italian government set up internment camps and ordered various groups of people to be rounded up and interned.  The groups included what were termed 'enemy subjects', as well as 'undesirables' and Italian jews.  One of these camps was Isernia e Vinchiaturo, which was one of 19 such camps in that region, although similar camps were set up all over Italy.  It could well be that your uncle was living and working in Italy in 1940, and was imprisoned as he was considered an enemy alien.

As Groom says above, the uniform he is wearing is probably not an indication that he was serving in one of the armed forces, although of course this does not rule it out.  However, the camp was liberated in about 1943 so it is likely that, had he been a prisoner for three years, he could have acquired different clothes whilst in the camp, either from those who had died, or by trading items such as tobacco or food for clothing.

[aljosa]

Groom-he was Slovene.

He was arrested in 1940, sent first to Trieste, then to Rome and finally to Isernia. Part of Slovenia (were we live ) was occupied by Italy, other part by Germany.  The reason for his arrest is unknown to me, probably he was just considered an enemy or a dangerous person as he was not a member of any resistance group, we're not Jews as well.
You all helped me already a lot, I know some new facts. My mum is an elderly person and as I said she doesn't remember all the details as she was a child at that time. She liked her uncle , she spent a lot of time with him, he was teaching her English at home ( in a communist country speaking English was not a positive thing)....He came across also with communist regime and he died in some unexplained circumstances in 1954, probably killed by a secret police. But that's another story...

[Greensleeves]

It does sound as though he was 'rounded up' and imprisoned because he was regarded as a threat to the fascist regime in Italy.  He must have been an interesting man, and it's impressive that he spoke English too.  Was this before or after World War II that he was teaching your mother English?  I was wondering whether he learnt to speak English whilst held in the prison camp.  Certainly, from the photo, he seems to be in a group of mostly British soldiers.  I am wondering also if that photo was taken at the time that the prison camp was liberated as it seems unlikely that photos would be allowed in the camp under normal circumstances.

Kind regards
Greensleeves

[groom]

I don't know whether this would be of any help from Family Search

https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Slovenia_Military_Records

[aljosa]

He was teaching my mum after the WW2.
I'm pretty sure that the photo was taken after the camp was liberated as probably it would be hard to make this kind of group photo in the camp. I have a photo of him from 1940 in prison clothes, it's visible that he lost some weight and he seems in worst conditions than on this one.
I agree that he must have been an interesting man, as he had problems with fascist and then with communist. I would say that he was fighting for freedom and democracy. It's a pity that I don't know more about him.

[macintosh]

It is not a Glengarry cap, I think looks very like an Italian or Polish Forces side cap, certainly one man is wearing a Tam O Shanter, perhaps it is a Partisan Unit with British members, the Lovat Scouts where in Italy at this time causing mayhem with their sniping and patrols around and beyond the Gothic Line and working with Polish Units.................just a thought.

James

[groom]

Judging from what aljosa has said though, he wasn't in the forces at all was he, just imprisoned for being some sort of threat?

[Greensleeves]

To reiterate, as Groom says, we have established that Rajko Tavcar was not in any armed services, and neither was he in a resistance group.  He was a prisoner of the fascists in Isernia, having been interned in about 1940, probably having been categorised as an enemy alien, or anti-fascist.

It seems likely that the camps which were originally used for detainees might have also been used to imprison captured allied servicemen.  Whatever the truth of this, here we have a photo of Rajko Tavcar, a Slovene, with a number of other men of differing nationalities, all wearing remnants of military uniforms, and all about to enjoy a drink of whatever's in the bucket.

[Greensleeves]

I discover that the Americans bombed Iscernia on 10th September 1943, killing over 4,000 people.  This was after the Italians had surrendered on 8th September.  Presumably Rajko Tavcar and his comrades would have been freed at about this time.