Wife Accused of Taking Italian POW as Lover
A Sydney company director petitioned for divorce, alleging that his wife had committed adultery with an Italian prisoner of war employed on his family's farm near Oberon. The wife denied the allegation, while the prisoner admitted to acts of familiarity but denied adultery. Evidence was heard from the farm manager and the case was adjourned for further hearing.
Alleging that his wife had committed adultery with an Italian prisoner of war, Richard Arthur Dickson, 36, company director, of Peel Street, Kirribilli, petitioned for divorce today.
Respondent is Alsa Margaret Dickson, formerly Bateup, 30, of Spit Road, Mosman, and the co-respondent, Francesco Maurizio Beltrammi.
Mrs Dickson denied adultery and defended the suit.
Beltrammi did not defend it, although he was present outside the Court, in the maroon uniform of a prisoner of war and in military custody.
He had been subpoenaed as a witness.
In Chaff Shed
Leslie James Waye said he was farm manager of Yuruga, a property at Oberon owned by the petitioner's father.
There were six Italian prisoners of war working on this property and on an adjoining one. Beltrammi was one of them.
About 1 p.m. one day in June 1944 he looked over a low door in the chaff shed and saw two figures whom he did not identify immediately.
He said, "What is going on here?"
Beltrammi jumped to his feet and stood at attention, but the other person, whom he then found was Mrs Dickson, remained lying on some bagging.
Later, Mrs Dickson came to his cottage and said, "I am sorry this has happened. It was not the first time, but I promise it will be the last. Don't take it out on Beltrammi!"
"Will Forget It"
Waye added:
"I said, 'If you promise that I will forget it.'"
"It was about 12 months after that before I said anything to anyone about what I had seen."
Dickson said he was married on September 17, 1937.
He had sent his wife and their two children to his father's farm when he enlisted in the A.I.F.
In May 1945, when he was at Madang (New Guinea), he received a letter, obtained special leave and returned to Sydney.
Accompanied by an interpreter (Sgt. Tanti), he interviewed Beltrammi in his father's office on the farm at Oberon.
Speaking partly in English and partly in Italian (which was translated), Beltrammi admitted many acts of familiarity with Mrs Dickson, but denied committing adultery with her.
Later, his wife denied committing adultery.
He then asked her about an incident which had been related to him by a farm hand named Roy Haydon.
He told her that Haydon had said that one night, when he was taking Mrs Dickson home from the pictures or some function in Oberon, Beltrammi grabbed her and punched her about six or seven times.
His wife said, "That is right, it was horrible." She added that Beltrammi must have been jealous of Haydon taking her home.
The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.