Translating ww2 postcard possibly Chinese?

[CaptainQuintero]

This is a bit of a long shot but with the multinational nature of FoH it seems like a decent enough idea.

Not knowing much about my Grandfather's service in WW2 beyond he was in the Royal Corps of Signals in Burma from around 1942-47 I've started to have a dig through the letters he sent home. I've come across a postcard he sent back that it looks like he found, from the note he has written on it, it seems he didn't find above nearby to translate it. I believe he was in Rangoon at the time, but it doesn't look like Burmese script to be, but more like Chinese? It would be nice to find out what the card actually says after all these years

 

[kalibratecuba]

If you don't get a reply before I get home, I'll send it on to my brother who can translate or maybe (seeing if I can add a member to this conversation)@raskol #Raskol might be able.

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[CaptainQuintero]

9 minutes ago, kalibratecuba said:

If you don't get a reply before I get home, I'll send it on to my brother who can translate or maybe (seeing if I can add a member to this conversation)@raskol #Raskol might be able.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 

Awesome thanks, it would be nice if I could get the postcard, it at least the message, to the person it was meant to get to. Unless it something like 'went to the shops, no bread'. I guess it could say anything given the time and location

[kalibratecuba]

Have forwarded the written side to my brother who resides in Shanghai and another brother is sharing with his wife.

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[CaptainQuintero]

3 hours ago, kalibratecuba said:

Have forwarded the written side to my brother who resides in Shanghai and another brother is sharing with his wife.

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That's fantastic thank you bro

[jwr0201]

OK curiosity is killing me!  You HAVE to let us know what the message says!

[kalibratecuba]

Okay. Woke up to an email from my brother. As I thought, it is not Chinese.  His secretary has a few Japanese friends who she sent it on to translate. So much work going on while we sleep. Here is what I got back:

 

Hi Keith

The translation is:

Dear Tamie

●●●●●●●(not clear)
Is Maa-chan fine, too?
And I'm happy to know your father and mother are working in peace.
I congratulate you from Burma that you went to 3rd grade (in elementary school) in this year.
I'm fine and fight with enemy everyday so please feel secure.

 

 

Now my mind goes to how it fell into the hands of an American soldier. I can only make a well grounded assumption and am quite taken by this simple message that any of us could write.

[CaptainQuintero]

That's really excellent thank you for going to the lengths my friend

I can try to fill in the blanks:

My grandfather was in the British Royal Signals and was a signalman, so operated radios and other communication devices, but was also trained in submachine guns and light machine guns and mentioned going off into the jungles to 'do jobs'. He never spoke too much about the actual war apart from he was involved with clearing out and mopping up the Japanese who had invaded Burma. The odd stories about the monsoon rain, giving up cigarettes, his friend making a makeshift boat out of external plane fuel tanks to paddle across Rangoon Harbour to try and steal officers food supplies. He was based in Rangoon for a time especially during the latter parts of the war and for 2 years after, trying to sort the mess out.

I'm guessing that the letter never made it out of Burma, but it has stamps so may have been processed, just never shipped back to Japan? It sounds like it is to a younger brother or sister, possibly a cousin? I'm guessing the 3rd grade probably means the person being written to was under 10.

Maybe my Grandfather picked it up when clearing areas the Japanese had held, if it has been rubber stamped etc (It looks like it) possibly he picked it up from some kind of postal office that had been used by the Japanese?

It sounds like the address is not clear enough to translate?

[kalibratecuba]

Half awake when posted. I didn't mean to write American. We, Americans, think too narrowly at times.

What I posted was all I got back . We're just lucky that we got that much back so quickly. Most people are headed off for Chinese New Year there.

Thanks for the background info.

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[CaptainQuintero]

43 minutes ago, kalibratecuba said:

Half awake when posted. I didn't mean to write American. We, Americans, think too narrowly at times.

What I posted was all I got back . We're just lucky that we got that much back so quickly. Most people are headed off for Chinese New Year there.

Thanks for the background info.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 

Haha no problem, it's brilliant what you managed to get thank you, it's nice to get it translated after sitting in a box for what, 60 years? I'm glad that it isn't something hugely important that the person has been waiting for all those years and never knew what happened.

[foursite12]

This is so cool. Universal hopes, best wishes, pride and reassurance in the midst of war. We want Humanity to win but as a species we just haven't figured out how to allow that to happen.