When the 'children's train' brought striking workers' kids to Gallarate (cross-border guide)

Context

In short - In the summer of 1911, the children of striking workers in Piombino were welcomed in Gallarate. - Ines Oddone Bittelli, trade unionist and journalist, organized the foster care of the children. - The story revives thanks to the book 'I figli dei serrati' by Alessandro Pellegatta. ## Key facts - What: Welcoming the children of striking workers in Piombino in Gallarate. - When: Summer 1911. - Where: Gallarate, Italy. - Who: Ines Oddone Bittelli and other trade unionists. - Amount: Approximately 200 children welcomed. In the summer of 1911, miners and steelmakers crossed their arms for months. Workers from other parts of Italy came to their aid. Including Gallarate, with the combative figure of the trade unionist Ines Oddone Bittelli. In August 1911, a group of children from the area of Piombino and Elba arrived in Gallarate. It is not a holiday of pleasure (tourism, for the most part, does not yet exist) but a temporary and necessary migration: children of striking workers are welcomed in Gallarate as a form of help to their families who are struggling. Leading the arrival of the little Tuscans in and around Gallarate was Ines Oddone, a determined trade unionist, journalist on 'The class struggle', champion of women's and children's rights, wife of the secretary of the Chamber of Labour Giovanni Bitelli. Exactly one hundred and twentyyears have passed (the arrival of the children in Gallarate on 3 September) and that history is revived thanks to the It is she who launched, in 1911, the idea of mass foster care, as a form of support for striking workers: together with other Emilian and Romagna trade unionists she organises the transfer, from 20 July the first trains depart, from Piombino the children go to Terni, Parma, Siena, Gallarate. The foster care of the 'children of the serrati' will involve about two hundred children. From the beginning, the operation was conceived not only as a direct solidarity, but also as a political gesture: 'The children's exodus is at the same time a living message of love and hatred that comes to us from the countries in struggle and reminds us of the pact of the proletarian organization, the promises freely exchanged by our Leagues, the ultimate goal towards which the efforts of workers around the world tend,' writes Ines Oddone. 'Someday children will become men and remember.' On Sunday, September 3, Ines Oddone goes to Lodi, gets on the train that arrives from Piombino, to start getting to know the eight children who will come to the Gallaratese. 'At Milan station, the children look around in fear: they seem to look for the short waves of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the vast horizon on which the ferrigne flounces of Elba loom and become sad seeing only the smoke-gray sky through the windows,' Oddone writes in a report in the newspaper. After greeting the other travelling companions, the children will arrive in Gallarate welcomed by "a large crowd of people, the vast majority of whom are workers". 'Our women in

Operational details

Practical Analysis

The reception of the children of striking workers in Gallarate represents an example of class solidarity that today may seem incredible. The story comes to life thanks to the book 'I figli dei serrati' by Alessandro Pellegatta, which tells how, in the summer of 1911, workers from Gallarate and other locations in Italy mobilized to help the families of striking workers in Piombino.

Ines Oddone Bittelli, a unionist and journalist, was a key figure in this operation. Her determination and commitment to the rights of women and children were fundamental to the organization of the mass foster care of the children. Together with other unionists from Emilia-Romagna, Oddone organized the transfer of the children from Piombino to various Italian cities, including Gallarate.

The foster care of the 'figli dei serrati' involved about two hundred children and was conceived not only as a direct act of solidarity but also as a political gesture. Ines Oddone wrote that 'The exodus of the children is at the same time a living message of love and hate that comes to us from the countries in struggle and reminds us of the pact of the proletarian organization, the promises exchanged freely by our Leagues, the ultimate goal to which the efforts of workers around the world tend'.

On Sunday, September 3, Ines Oddone boarded the train arriving from Piombino to meet the eight children who would be welcomed in Gallarate. At the Milan station, the children looked around frightened, searching with their eyes for the waves of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the vast horizon of Elba. Upon arriving in Gallarate, they were greeted by a large crowd of people, mostly workers, who felt twice as mothers in that hour.

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Key points

Action

If you are interested in learning more about the history of welcoming the children of striking workers in Gallarate, we recommend reading the book 'The children of the serrati' by Alessandro Pellegatta. This book will allow you to delve deeper into the history and better understand the importance of class solidarity.

Also, if you want to learn more about how class solidarity can make a difference in people's lives, please check out our border tax calculator. This tool will help you better understand your taxes and your rights as a border worker.

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Source: varesenews.it