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Can anyone translate this handwritten inscription in an old book? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Google image translate was able to get me as far as "For our..." and "on behalf of", but that's it.

It's a 1924 edition of Hegel's Lectures on Philosophy of History, in German, published by Philipp Reclam Jun. of Leipzig as part of the Reclam Universal Library. I picked it up years ago at a second hand book sale along with a ton of other books, just got around to noticing the stamp and inscription. As far as I can tell from a bit of googling, the stamp indicates this book was sent or received by a German prisoner of war in a British labour camp in Egypt, probably the suez canal zone. I couldn't find an exact location for German Independent Working Company 2719.

Anyway, would love a translation of the handwriting if anyone can figure it out. The combination of messy writing, possibly abbreviations, and a language I don't speak has stumped me.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (2 children)

That's what i can gather from it:

For our comrade Mar. L. (unsure)

On behalf of Wilh. Prinz. 
Mainz-Mombach
Hauptstrasse 46 II

Wilh. is surely "Wilhelm"

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

Thanks! I guess Google actually translated almost all of it except proper nouns (and comrade). Haupstrasse 46 does seem to be a valid address in Mainz-Mombach. I guess I had hoped there was some mention of rank or something, to make clear that it was a German soldier, although tbh my research about the stamp has resolved that to my satisfaction anyway.

Thanks for your help! 😀

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

I came to the same conclusions.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Für unseren Kameraden ??? For our comrade

Im Auftrag v. Per pro (in behalf of) wilhelm ???

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Mainz.??? (mainz is a city, might be an address) Hauptstraße 46 (A road named Main Road, this is a address)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Looks like "For our connoisseur of" then it looks like a name, "Mae. l"? Could be a misspelling of a date "Mai 1st"?

Then it looks like "On behalf of" and a name I can't make out, possibly Wilf Pinsz(?) and what looks like an address, "Main S, Mombae" under that is what looks like "Haupfstr 46" which could be shot for Haupfstrasse 46, another part of the address perhaps?

Edit: just to write it in full. "For our connoisseur of Mae L/May 1st. On behalf of Wilf Prinsz(?), Main St, Mombae, Haupfstrasse 46".