A woman from Llŷn Peninsula has managed to trace the history of a family secret that had been hidden from her for over 75 years…
Ann Hughes, 76, embarked on an emotional quest to uncover the truth about her biological father, only to discover he was an Italian soldier who had been held as a prisoner of war in Wales during World War II.
The extraordinary history of her family is revealed to Ann and her daughter Sioned in the first episode of a new series of Gwesty Aduniad, which means Reunion Hotel in Welsh, which will be shown on S4C later this week.
Gwesty Aduniad is a series that brings people who have lost contact – or who want to meet for the first time – together. In the programme, Ann gets to meet one of her father’s blood relatives for the first time ever in an emotional reunion.
Ann had always believed that the man who raised her was her biological father and only learned the truth five years ago when her husband revealed on his deathbed that he had kept the secret for more than 50 years. On Ann’s wedding day in 1966, Ann’s mother shared the secret with her son-on law, who, according to Ann “warned everyone who knew about it not to tell me in case it broke my heart”.
Results of a DNA test revealed that Ann was, in fact, half Italian, and led to one man who was key to solving it all. Her first cousin from the United States – Al Cappello. Historical records were able to confirm that Ann’s father was Salvatore Conti, a man from Sicily who was held a prisoner of war in Wales, and that he had been living for some time in Chwilog, near Pwllheli.
Further investigation revealed that in 1954, six years after Ann’s birth, Salvatore emigrated to Canada, where he married and had two daughters – and remarkably, the family were aware of Ann’s existence. Ann says: “I never thought it would happen – that I had two younger sisters.”
In a touching moment in the programme, Al Capello, who lives in Buffalo in the United States. Al says: “When all this began, I called Lina in Italy and said there’s a possibility that there has been a child born that may be related to your father. It was a shock to her system. This has been an odyssey for me – the search for truth, because family is important. I was just the first part of the puzzle, I guess.”
“My hope is that she and my cousin Lina can make a closer connection.”
Gwesty Aduniad, Wednesday, 27 November at 9pm on S4C
English subtitles available
On demand: S4C Clic, iPlayer and other platforms
