An Italian woman is searching Wiltshire for her long-lost half-brother after her father was held in the county as a prisoner of war.
Anna Onori, from Rome, believes her father had a son named Edward while he was being kept prisoner at a camp in Ogbourne Maizey.
Benedetto Onori arrived in Wiltshire in in 1944, after being captured in North Africa the previous year, and was held at camp 621, a satellite camp to a larger site in Wanborough.
He remained a prison worker in the county until April 1946 and was sent to work on a farm during this time.
It is here that Mrs Onori believes her father had an affair with “the lady of the farm” and the pair had a son, named Edward, together in either 1945 or 1946.
After the war Mr Onori returned to Italy, where he reportedly continued to receive parcels from an English woman called Barbara.
Mrs Onori suspects, but has not been able to confirm, that this was Edward’s mother.
She later discovered photos of her father with a man who she thinks is her half-brother and his wife or girlfriend at the time, taken in 1976 at her father’s birthplace in Magliano Romano.
But Mrs Onori claims she was never told about Edward because her mother prevented the subject from being discussed amongst the family.
Her father died in 2003, and spoke about Edward shortly before his death, and now his daughter is determined to track down her long-lost half-brother.
Mrs Onori said: “I have a great desire to find Edward. I would love to have known my half-brother. Please help me find him if you can.”
She enlisted the help of local amateur genealogist Elaine Barker who has been searching high and low for any trace of Mrs Onori’s potential sibling.
This has included posts on local Facebook groups, sending letters to local residents and tracking down any Edwards born during the right time period.
“I’ve done everything I can think of really”, said Mrs Barker. “It would mean everything if we could find him because Anna is really family orientated.
“She feels they’ve missed out on that relationship so please get in contact if you can help because she would love to meet him.”
Mrs Barker believes Mr Onori could have worked anywhere within a half an hour radius of Ogbourne Maizey.
Those with information can contact her at finding.edward@hotmail.com
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