Hymns and hints: a prisoner of war's notebook in Italy

Around Christmas 1942, Pope Pius XII issued a small notebook to prisoners of war held in POW camps in Italy. Compact in its 14cm x 9cm dimensions, the first half of the 48-page notebook comprised a calendar month per page, and blank 'memorandum' pages. On each page of the first half of the booklet were brief quotes taken from speeches by Pope Pius, presumably offered for reflection and inspiration. Christmas and Easter hymns populated the remaining pages. Although its compact size did not provide for extensive diary entries, it offered more than enough for a POW to record key dates, places, and names. It kept track of the welcome issue of Red Cross parcels, and of mail from home. Owing to the source of its distribution, it was considered to be reasonably immune from confiscation by camp authorities. Conveniently, it was a perfect size for an escaped POW to stuff into a kit bag, under a shirt, or into a long sock.