Small, yellow warning pennant with a skull and crossbones acquired by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Width: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm)
Creator(s)
- Harold B. Goldberg (Subject)
Biographical History
Harold B. Goldberg (1922-2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York to Samuel and Rose Goldberg. Samuel and Rose were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States before the birth of their children. Samuel worked as a presser in a tailor shop. Harold had six siblings and the family spoke Yiddish and English at home. As a young adult Harold worked as a mail carrier and attended City College in New York. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The following day the United States declared war on Japan, and on December 11, Germany declared war on the United States. On October 31, 1942 Harold was drafted into the U.S. military. He entered the army on October 31, 1942 as a private, and received serial number 32613738. He served in Europe until the end of the war. Harold then returned home to New York where he married his wife Rita in 1952. The family lived in New York for the rest of their lives.
Archival History
The mine warning pennant was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by the family of Harold Goldberg.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the family of Harold Goldberg
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
German military issue, poison gas warning pennant brought back from Germany by Harold Goldberg, an American soldier who served in the European Theater in 1945. The pennants were attached to a thin, iron rod and staked into the ground. They were used to mark off areas contaminated with dangerous gas, and later repurposed to warn against hidden landmines. The pennants were part of a set that included 20 flags, each attached to a 60-cm-long iron rod, painted with red anti-rust paint, a roll of yellow tape, and a carrying pouch. Harold B. Goldberg lived in New York City, where he attended City College and worked as mail carrier prior to being drafted into the U.S. Army as a private, in October 1942. Harold served in Europe until the end of the war and then returned to New York, where he married his wife Rita in 1952.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Small, yellow cloth with an inverted triangle displaying a black-dyed skull and crossbones, printed on the front and visible on the back. The top edge is folded over and sewn to form a tunnel hoist. The other edges are hemmed. There is some staining at the top, but the pennant does not appear used.
Subjects
- Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945-Gases, Asphyxiating and poisonous.
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish.
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Soldiers--United States--Biography.
- Germany.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
Genre
- Information Forms
- Object
- Signs (Notices)