Ruberto, Donato

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Title	Ruberto, Donato
Family Name	Ruberto
Given Name(s)	Donato
Gender	Male
Full Biographical Data	Donato Ruberto (Cairano, province Avellino, Italy 27 July 1910- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA 1 December 1991). In Cairano he had been a skilled carpenter/cabinetmaker. He was a sergeant in the 60th Infantry Division “Sabratha” (60ª Divisione di Fanteria “Sabratha”), in the 86th Infantry Regiment (86º Reggimento di Fanteria), the 2nd Battalion (II Battaglione), 8th Company. He had different prisoner of war numbers during his captivity: • ME/229630 (in Middle East) • T/22802 (in United Kingdom) • 7WI3559 (in United States) He was captured in Beda Littoria (today’s Bayda, Libya) on 4 February, 1941 and probably transferred to camp 308 (in Benghazi, Libya) until 26 April 1941. He was transferred to South Africa (27 April 1941) to the Zonderwater Camp until at least November, 1941. He was then transferred to the United Kingdom (documented in January 1942) where he passed through many camps: Camps 7, 9, 12, 17, and 40. He was first brought to Camp 7 as early as 11 January 1942 and on 15 April 1942 he was transferred to Camp 40, with a stop at Camp 9 along the way. On 29 June 1942 he was transferred to Camp 12, where he stayed until 26 September 1942, at which point he was transferred to Camp 17 waiting for his transfer to the United States. From 3 December to 13 December 1942, he traveled from the UK, through Halifax, Nova Scotia to Missouri, USA, where he stayed in Camp Clark until May 1944. While in Missouri, in July 1943, he is visited by his older brother, Pietro/Peter Ruberto, an American citizen living in Pittsburgh, PA who he had not seen in circa 32 years. Transportation within the United States was presumably by train and car/truck. From 5 May and 7 May 1944, he travelled from Camp Clark, Missouri to Pine Camp, NY (Italian Service Unit, ISU) where he stayed until 22 July 1944. From 22-23 July 1944, he travelled from Pine Camp, NY to a camp in Lacerne Ohio (Italian Service Unit, ISU) where he stayed until late October 1944. Between 30 October and 3 November 1944, he travelled from Lacerne, Ohio to Benicia Arsenal, Benicia, California (ISU) where he stayed until September 1945. From 3-5 September 1945, he travelled from Benicia, California to Ogden, Utah (ISU), where he stayed just a few days, leaving again on 7 September 1945. From 7 September 1945 until his arrival back home, Ruberto was transported across the continental United States to an unknown port city in the United States and then by ship to Naples. He then traveled by truck/car and foot. Donato Ruberto arrived back to his village of Cairano, Italy on October 5 1945, at 2am, having walked on foot for at least the last 20 kilometers from the village of Lioni. After postwar repatriation to Italy Ruberto continued his work as a cabinet maker until 1949. In July 1949, Ruberto left for Caracas, Venezuela where he worked as a day laborer. In December 1953, he left Venezuela and immigrated to the United States, specifically to Pittsburgh, PA. In November 1954, Donato Ruberto’s wife and their three youngest children emigrated through the U.S.’s Refugee Relief Act and joined him in Pittsburgh. In 1957 Ruberto’s oldest son emigrated as well. Donato Ruberto eventually joined a local union and worked as a carpenter on large buildings as well as building houses, additions, and miscellaneous household items for his extended family. He returned to visit Italy two times in his life and once he visited family in Venezuela. He also returned two time to Benicia (1986 circa and 1988 circa) where the local paper (Benicia Herald) covered his return.
Related Resources	Such is Life/ Ma la vita è fatta cosi: an Italian American Woman’s Memoir by Leonilde Frieri  Ruberto
	‘Captive Expressions: The Wartime Experiences of Donato Ruberto’, Marinaro, Melissa E.
	Fascicolo militare/Military file
P O W Number	ME/229630 (in Middle East) T/22802 (in United Kingdom) 7WI3559 (in United States)
Honorific	Sergeant
Pre- Captivity Occupation	carpenter
Pre- Captivity Occupation	Cabinet maker
Post- Captivity Occupation	Cabinet maker
	labourer
	carpenter
Birth Date	1910-07-27
Country Of Birth	Italy
Journey	Italy
	Beda Littoria
	POW Camp 308 Benghazi
	POW Camp Zonderwater
	Winter Quarters POW Camp Ascot
	POW Camp 40 Somerhill
	POW Camp 12 Warth Mills
	POW Camp 17 Lodge Moor
	Halifax
	Camp Clark
	ISU Camp Pine
	ISU Camp in Ohio
	ISU Camp Benicia Arsenal
	ISU Camp Ogden
	Napoli
	Caracas
Related Person(s)	Frieri, Leonilde
Death Date	1991-12-01
Linked From	Frieri, Leonilde
Linked From	Tank

Periods of Captivity

POW Camp 308 Benghazi/4 Feb 1941-26 Apr 1941

Title	POW Camp 308 Benghazi/4 Feb 1941-26 Apr 1941
Classification	Prisoner of War
Place Of Capture	Beda Littoria
Date Of Capture	1941-02-04
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1941-04-26
Date Of Internment	1941-02-04
Camp Or Place Held Captive	POW Camp 308 Benghazi

POW Camp Zonderwater/ 27 Apr 1941 – Nov 1941

Title	POW Camp Zonderwater/ 27 Apr 1941 – Nov 1941
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1941-11
Date Of Internment	1941-04-27
Camp Or Place Held Captive	POW Camp Zonderwater

Winter Quarters POW Camp Ascot/11 Jan 1942 – 15 Apr 1942

Title	Winter Quarters POW Camp Ascot/11 Jan 1942 – 15 Apr 1942
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1942-04-15
Date Of Internment	1942-01-11
Camp Or Place Held Captive	Winter Quarters POW Camp Ascot

POW Camp 40 Somerhill/15 Apr 1942 – 29 Jun 1942

Title	POW Camp 40 Somerhill/15 Apr 1942 – 29 Jun 1942
Transfer/ Stopover	POW Camp 9 Quorn
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1942-06-29
Date Of Internment	1942-04-15

POW Camp 12 Warth Mills/ 29 Jun 1942 – 26 Sept 1942

Title	POW Camp 12 Warth Mills/ 29 Jun 1942 – 26 Sept 1942
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1942-09-26
Date Of Internment	1942-06-29
Camp Or Place Held Captive	POW Camp 12 Warth Mills

POW Camp 17 Lodge Moor/ 26 Sept 1942 – 3 Dec 1942

Title	POW Camp 17 Lodge Moor/ 26 Sept 1942 – 3 Dec 1942
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1942-12-03
Date Of Internment	1942-09-26
Camp Or Place Held Captive	POW Camp 17 Lodge Moor

Camp Clark/13 Dec 1942 – 5 May 1944

Title	Camp Clark/13 Dec 1942 – 5 May 1944
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1944-05-05
Date Of Internment	1942-12-13
Camp Or Place Held Captive	Camp Clark

ISU Camp Pine/7 May 1944 – 22 July 1944

Title	ISU Camp Pine/7 May 1944 – 22 July 1944
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1944-07-22
Date Of Internment	1944-05-07
Camp Or Place Held Captive	ISU Camp Pine

ISU Camp in Ohio/23 July 1944 – 30 Oct 1944

Title	ISU Camp in Ohio/23 July 1944 – 30 Oct 1944
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1944-10-30
Date Of Internment	1944-07-23
Camp Or Place Held Captive	ISU Camp in Ohio

ISU Camp Benicia Arsenal/3 Nov 1944 – 3 Sept 1945

Title	ISU Camp Benicia Arsenal/3 Nov 1944 – 3 Sept 1945
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1945-09-03
Date Of Internment	1944-11-03
Camp Or Place Held Captive	ISU Camp Benicia Arsenal

ISU Camp Ogden/5 Sept 1945 – 7 Sept 1945

Title	ISU Camp Ogden/5 Sept 1945 – 7 Sept 1945
Classification	Prisoner of War
Date Of Transfer/stopover	1945-09-07
Date Of Internment	1945-09-05
Camp Or Place Held Captive	ISU Camp Ogden