ITALIAN - ENGLISH AND ENGLISH - ITALIAN, practical pocket dictionary

147pp., small 8vo, hinges exposed, glue detaching at text block–cover connection; edges of several pages slightly bent, hardback, boards in card, printed paper label present though torn & damaged, obscuring title, Second Edition, Zonderwater [Pretoria], 1944

Zonderwater, near Pretoria, was the largest Allied detention camp of the Second World War, holding over 100,000 Italian prisoners of war between 1941 & 1947. Beyond confinement, the camp fostered a remarkable cultural & educational life, with schools, libraries, theatres, music, handicrafts, sport & its own magazine. Support came from the YMCA, the Red Cross & South Africa’s Italian community, whose aid sustained both morale & material needs.