Teesside-Italians who died on a ship torpedoed by the Nazis are set to be remembered at an event in Middlesbrough next month.

The men were among hundreds who died on the Arandora Star, which was sunk during the Second World War.

The British passenger cruise ship had been adapted for other roles when the war began.

In July 1940, it set off from Liverpool to Canada with 1,200 passengers who were mainly Italian, Austrian, and German civilian internees.

Middlesbrough Town Hall memorial to the Arandora Star victims (Image: Tony Fox/North East Volunteers for Liberty) Many had lived in Britain but were arrested and interned when war broke out.

A small number were German prisoners of war.

Also onboard were British troops and a merchant navy crew.

The ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic, 75 miles north-west of Ireland.

Thirteen men from Teesside with Italian roots, including the grandfather of rock musician Chris Rea, died.

The song Andorra Star Blues was written by Chris to remember the death of the 700 Italian immigrants - including his ancestor Camillo Rea - who were killed by the German U-Boat while on thier way to Canada 

The Teesside men who perished were Leandro Beltrami, Luigi Bertoia, Alessandro Borsumato, Domenico Greco, Tullio Greco, Amedeo Lucantoni, Antonio Nardone, Domenico Pontone, Antonio Ranaldi, Camillo Rea, Domenico Rea, Antonio Todisco, and Giuseppe Tortolano.

The men were kept at Middlesbrough Town Hall before being deported and today, the hall has a memorial plaque to them.

Other Arandora Star memorials can be found in locations including Liverpool, London, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy.

The Teesside Italians and, separately, partisans in Italy who fought against Benito Mussolini's fascist dictatorship and Nazi Germany, are set t be remembered at an event on Saturday, May 3, at The Chapel venue, Whitehouse Street, Newport, Middlesbrough, at 7pm.

This May is also the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when German forces formally surrendered to the Allies.

The Middlesbrough event, the May Day Partisans Party, is being organised by the North East Volunteers for Liberty group.

Speakers will include Alfio Bernabei from the Italian organisation Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia (ANPI), which honours Italian partisans and resistance and promotes the importance of democracy.

Another speaker will be Ian Stubbs, a historian from the area and Teesside University graduate.

Tony Fox, an organiser, said: "On Teesside, the impact of Italian immigration is evident in many ways and not just the ‘Parmo'.

"Italian immigrants to Teesside, particularly in the 1930s and '40s, established businesses such as coffee bars, ice cream parlours, and restaurants.

"Names such as Capaldi, Pacitto, Rea, and Trillo are those of Italian immigrants who launched what became well-known businesses on Teesside.

"But the region's Italian links go beyond ice cream and popular local businesses.

READ MORE:

"For example, Italian radicals and political figures, such as Garibaldi in 1860, visited the area and inspired the establishment of radical political organisations."

The May 3 event will include music and poetry from Bob Beagrie, Mark Boden, Sarah Dennis, and Harry Gallagher.

The event is free, but donations will go to the Ron Dennison Memorial Fund, which aims to build a permanent memorial to Billingham's Ron Dennison, who joined the International Brigade as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War and died in Spain in 1937.