Page 565 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

1205
ActA
16
should be as the list prepared by the General Command together with two bournous .
During the trip to Assab, in Alessandria and Port Said, the personnel bought some
equipment and specifically cork helmet.
Finally, the personnel started to Assab . The Carabinieri left Naples on 27th April
17
1883 underlining that the w.o. Cavedagni received orders by the Foreign Affairs
18
19
Ministry and then started to Naples .
The Royal Carabinieri Station of Assab: the first period of activity
The Naples legion wrote, after a month from the departure that the personnel sent in
Eritrea was arrived to the destination on 16th May and based on “the Station commander
paper, the personnel is well accepted, well located with all the needs satisfied and all
the carabinieri have good health so they are quiet and happy because the weather and
local condition; in that place there is a good relationship between local population and
the personnel. Nevertheless, I advised to be more wary with local population and during
night duty and particularly admitting natives in the barracks because of wild character
of them”. 20
The General Commander wrote to the Interior Ministry (for the Prime Minister) that
the personnel arrived and started immediately its job. On the same time he wrote “on 3rd
June, National day of the constitution, the carabinieri were received in special uniform
by the Royal Governor, with the Royal ship stationed in Assab. In that situation the
governor received some presents from Italian citizens and from some native tribes of

16 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 4233 dated 14th April 1883 of Carabinieri General headquarters
to the Turin and Rome legion, subject: Traslocazione del Cre a cavallo (Turin) Iervolino (Rome) Piazzi,
to the Palermo legion, subject: Traslocazione alla Legione Napoli del M.llo d’alloggio a cavallo Caved-
agni. I didn’t find the list. The Bournous (o Burnus) was a mantle sometimes a hooded cloack, Paolo
di Paolo (a cura di), Abbecedario del carabiniere – Dizionario storico essenziale per la conoscenza
dell’Arma, Roma, Comando Generale dell’Arma dei Carabinieri, 1996, p. 51.
17 The personnel who left Naples to Eritrea was the warrant officer Enrico Cavedagni and the carabinieri
Albino Ghitta, Pasquale Iervolino and Edoardo Piazzi.
18 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 4595 dated 22nd April 1883 Carabinieri General Headquaters to
the war ministry, replying to the message N. 2133 of the same day, subject: Si rassegna di aver disposto
per la partenza dei quattro militari dell’Arma destinati ad Assab.
19 The carabinieri travelled with the ship “China” of the Italian navigation society “Florio-Rubattino”; cfr.
the article I carabinieri reali in Assab cit., pp. 229-231.
20 About some studies on the African population and about the European perspective of it, Paola zagaTTi,
Lineamenti per una storia dell’abitante dell’Africa. L’africano negli studi antropologici italiani (1871-
1940), in Annale 2000-2001 – L’attività di ricerca scientifica del Dipartimento di Discipline Storiche
dell’Università di Bologna, Clueb, Bologna, 2003, pp. 83-95. In Italian the text is: “da quanto afferma
quel Comandante di Stazione i detti militari sono stati colà benissimo accolti, meglio accasermati senza
mancare del necessario e quello che più conforta si è di aver appreso che vi godono perfetta salute e che
perciò sono tranquilli e contenti senza punto preoccuparsi della natura di quella residenza, ove già si
è determinata tra loro e la popolazione un naturale ricambio di simpatia e benevolenza. Nullameno ho
vivamente raccomandato a quei militari di esser molto cauti nei contatti con gli indigeni, e nei servizi
di notte, e specialmente, nello ammettere nella Caserma alcun’indigeno [sic] anche a titolo di servizio,
attesa l’indole feroce di essi”.