Collection of documents – letters, poems, skits, and other items, from the estate of Hananya Ratzkovsky, a soldier from Haifa in the Entertainments National Service Association – ENSA, who served in the Royal Engineering Corps in the Middle East. Italy, Libya, Palestine (and elsewhere?), 1942-1945. Hebrew, a little English and Italian.
A varied collection, including personal letters sent to Ratzkovsky, some of them by friends who were also involved in cultural affairs in the Hebrew units of the British Army, letters sent to him by his parents and letters he sent to his parents, alongside documents related to his work in the ENSA: poems written by soldiers of the Jewish Brigade, a parody of the eighth field army as well as songs and skits about soldiers' lives, a handwritten leaf – a eulogy for a female soldier named Ofra who died in the Libyan desert (1943), songs for sing-alongs copied on notes or typewritten, letters sent by children from Palestine to the soldiers of the brigade, a skit titled "A Hebrew Company in the Desert", by Electrical & Mechanical coy. 544, together with female soldiers from coy. 519 (typewritten), bulletin no. 1 (internal) of Electrical & Mechanical coy. 544 and additional items.
A total of more than 100 documents. Condition varies, fair-poor. Severe dampness damage. Stains and wear. Some of the leaves are torn or partly missing.
See next item.