This little book was issued officially by the British Government to Jewish soldiers who fought in the Second World War. It was edited by Dayan Mark Gollop, who was the Senior Jewish Chaplain to the Armed Forces. For more about Dayan Gollop, see my post on his copy of A Book of Jewish Thoughts here.
The book is basically an abbreviated 76 page Siddur with daily prayers, Shabbos prayers, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Festival Prayers all squeezed into 76 pages. Plus relevant prayers for a soldier going into battle, including prayers for the dying and the burial service.
I found this book that perhaps belonged to an uncle who was stationed in England during the war. Another uncle, a doctor, was stationed in Italy. There is no inscription. Is there any value to this item other than nostalgic/sentimental? And can you confirm if this item was only given to service men in England or to all Jewish servicemen?
There is no great monetary value to this item – it was printed in relatively large quantities – but it is certainly of historical and nostalgic value. It was printed officially by His Majesty’s Stationery Office and intended for members of the British armed forces. If a copy was owned by a member of a different army, this may be evidence that it was distributed to other Jewish servicemen who were in England during the war.