!7th Hussars Postcard: Need help with translation

JohnM

JohnM

Well-known member
Look's like it's not German...Dutch maybe? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, John

hussar2.jpg


hussar1.jpg


hussar4.jpg


hussar3.jpg
 
Hi John:

I'm fairly certain the language is German. The salutation, Lieber, certainly is, as are the prepostions für and zu. Other discernable German words are meinum, so, wir, im and August (we in August...). However, translating that script, in toto, is beyond my abilities.

It's a lovely horse, though.

Chas.
 
It is German, and I suppose, it is in Suetterlin handwriting, which I unfortunately can not read.
Only the adress is in the Netherlands: "J. van Straathoven - Haag - 's Gravenhage- Holland".
Den Haag or 's Gravenhage is not the Dutch capital, but it is the seat of our Dutch government and parliament.
 
Hey John,
Just a quick look at it, it is a note thankng the recipiant for his birthday greetings to the writer, I am a bit hammered from travel right now, but I will see what I can get out of it. I will be getting a bit of practice, as I was given a book with about 100 post cards that were saved by the grandmother of a friend, whose wedding we attended near Bonn last week. The ones that interest me the most are from her great uncle who was captured in 1915 and spent the war in a POW camp in France, only to succumb to the Spanish Influensa in 1919 before he was returned home.
Best wishes
Gus
 
Hey John,
Could you send a higher rez scan of the back of the card, his script at first glance looks very good, but when looking at an enlargement, it is not that consistent, my e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks
Gus
 
John,

If you go to the imperial section of the Gentlemen's Military Interest Club forum, http://gmic.co.uk a fellow there, Rick Research, can read that old German script very, very well.
 
At a glance, the letter contains mostly smalltalk to a friend of the writer named Kaathoven, which is a common dutch name.

The writer thanks the receiver for his birthday greetings and asks when he will come to visit and wants to show him some animal - a bird? - that flew to him in August that year. In the middle there is a part that I could not read becasue the pitcture is a bit small.
 
Robert said:
At a glance, the letter contains mostly smalltalk to a friend of the writer named Kaathoven, which is a common dutch name.

The writer thanks the receiver for his birthday greetings and asks when he will come to visit and wants to show him some animal - a bird? - that flew to him in August that year. In the middle there is a part that I could not read becasue the pitcture is a bit small.
Click to expand...

That bit I read... Ich Muß Ihnen mein Baly zeigen, das mir in August zugeflogen ist.

I was wondering if it might be a bit of shranel, rather than an animal.
Best wihses
Gus
 
Must have been hunting buddies. A Birkhahn is a Black Grouse a favorite game bird of the heath in the Netherlands. Probably pretty rare in this day.
 
Ich Muß Ihnen mein Baly zeigen, das mir in August zugeflogen ist
Click to expand...
First I thought he wrote "Balg", sort of a bantling (used figuratively ) but the last letter is definitely a "y". He would not write "Baby", would he?

:scratch:
 
Hello George:

Another piece of the puzzle solved? I found this link with various photos of Birkhähne.

http://www.naturfoto-schiersmann.de/galerie-birkhuhn-12.htm

They are, indeed, in decline:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackgrouse/index.asp

Charles
 
Hey All,
Here is my best effort todate on John's card, I look forward to any critique and corrections, as I am not happy with my efforts.


Lieber Kaathoven! Gaben Sie vielen
dank fur Ihr freundlich Gluckwunshe
zu meinen Geburtstage, ich finde es
ganz ruhrend von Ihnen, voran zu
danken. Umseitiges Roß erinnen Sie
vom Abkachen vor? 2 Jahre, es ist
an Birckhahn 92 kerk. u. tut gute
dienste. Wann werde Sie uns
hier besuchen? Ich muß Ihnen mein
Laly zeigen, das mir im August
zugeflogen ist. Viele herzliche Grüße
u. aufrichtegen dank Ihr.

Dear Kaathoven! I give you many
thanks for your friendly luck wish
for my birthday, I find it
completely touching of you, first too
thankyou. On the other hand the steed reminds you
of the Abkachen? 2 years, it is
at Birckhahn 92 capture and does good
services. When will you
visit us here? I must show you my
Laly, that flew to me in August.
Many cordial greetings
and sincere thanks to you.
 
My compliments, Gustaf. You are so near the text.
But Abkachen, I doubt it. Perhaps it may be "Abkochung", an extract?
Or even Abkaufen? To buy, which I think is written.

So: "Do you recognize the horse (Ross) on the other side (of the card), which we bought?"
The next sentence still puzzles me: "Two years, it is at black grouse / blackcock 92 church and (it) fulfills good services"
Because the letter is adressed to a dutch person, I may perhaps interprete the word "kerk" as the dutch word for church.
The puzzle goes on. Thanks Gus.
 
Thanks Pierre,
Abkachen, yes, that makes no sense, that is the best I could get, thinking that it may be the name of the horse??? Kerk from where I was looking is like Goal or jail, I was grasping at straws there too. And I am stumped by the writer's signature.
A fun pussel though.
Gus
 
Not 100 % sure ,but i think its a hussar of 17th rgt, Braunschweig, who wrote a letter to a parent/friend in Holland.(i dont read the Sütterlin )
This uniform looks dark surely black ,and the inkstamp city on the reverse side is certainly Braunschweig.
Plus, on the front of the mütze, ist maybe a deathhead beetween the 2 cocards, just my 2 cents though...
 
I'm completely with Philippe, he's from Braunschweigiches Husaren-Regt. Nr. 17, based on the postmark and that large white blob between the two cockades can only be the Braunschweig pattern Totenkopf.
 
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