When the new baby was only four months old, Ugo noticed that Maria was not well. Examining her, he found that she was pregnant again, but had dangerously large cysts on both her ovaries. She needed a major operation – one he could not perform on the island.

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So the whole family took the three-hour boat trip to Mwanza, the provincial capital, where there was a large hospital run by a British doctor.

She had to have both her ovaries removed, and lost the baby she was carrying. She was twenty-five, and of course, this operation meant that she went into menopause. But she recovered quickly, and was soon back home on the island.

Ugo’s contract on the island was ending, and the Mission was to pay the return trip for the family to Italy.

Tanganyika was never a colony: it was a Mandate under British administration. The British Provincial Medical Officer in Mwanza soon became aware of Ugo’s talents, and realized that the young doctor, who soon became fluent in English and Swahili, was someone he needed in Government service. He promised that he would bring the family back from Italy after their leave, and that on their return Ugo would become the Medical Officer for the town of Musoma, further north round the lake towards the Kenyan border. He would be employed by Her Majesty’s Overseas Civil Service, and be paid by the British Government.

This was a huge opportunity, and promised the young family stability for the future. Musoma was a real town, with streets, shops, and an expat community. The island had been an adventurous and exciting start, but was no place to bring up a family. Ugo and Maria had grown to love Africa, and the move to Musoma was to be the first of many upward steps.