LIVES IN BRIEF

PIERO TERRACINA, pictured, who has died aged 91, was one of the last survivors of Italy’s tiny Jewish community who were deported to Nazi death camps during the Second World War.

As a 15-year-old, he escaped the round-up by German occupying troops of Rome’s Jews in 1943 and went into hiding with his family. But the next year he was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where his parents, three siblings and other relatives died.

Mr Terracina’s recounting of the horrors suffered there won praise by Italian leaders. Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, hailed Terracina as a “true light in these dark times”, which she described as being marked by words of hate and denial of the Holocaust.

Mr Terracina was described as the last Roman Jew among Italy’s Holocaust survivors at the time of his death. Even before many of them were taken to death camps by Nazi occupiers, the nation’s Jews were already suffering under Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, whose regime, in 1938, enacted anti-jewish laws.

RON SAUNDERS, who has died aged 87, was a former Aston Villa manager. He is widely regarded as one of the club’s finest managers, in particular steering the club to the old Division One title in 1980-81.

Saunders guided Villa to promotion in his first season in charge, lifted two League Cups and led the club to a league championship in 1980/81.

The Birkenhead-born Saunders enjoyed a prolific career as a player, scoring 200 goals combined for Everton, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Watford and Charlton from 1951 through to 1967. Upon retiring, Saunders immediately went into management, initially with Yeovil, before spells with Oxford, Norwich and Manchester City, and then taking over at Villa in 1974.

Saunders enjoyed eight years with the club prior to joining bitter rivals Birmingham, followed by 19 months at West Brom, concluding with his sacking in 1987. He remains the only manager to have taken charge of all three Second City clubs.

NELL GIFFORD who has died aged 46, was the co-founder of one of the UK’S best-known traditional travelling circuses. She died, after suffering breast cancer surrounded by family, Giffords Circus said in a statement.

The group said: “It is with broken hearts that we announce the death of Nell Gifford – the co-founder, driving force and the visionary behind Giffords Circus.

Her vision for Giffords Circus was to bring happiness, imagination and enliven people’s souls.

“Giffords Circus shall continue to do just that. Whilst the world is a dimmer place today, Nell will continue to live through the circus.”

Next year Giffords will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the circus. “Nell wanted it to be the showstopper and it will be just that,” the statement said.

“Next year’s production, The Hooley, will celebrate the first 20 years, the next 20 years and Nell’s incredible life.”