Can anyone translate this handwritten inscription in an old book?

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.

morgunkorn 16 points 2 years ago

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"

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randomsnark 7 points 2 years 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! 😀

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phneutral 4 points 2 years ago

I came to the same conclusions.

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PostnataleAbtreibung 4 points 2 years ago

Für unseren Kameraden ??? For our comrade

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

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PostnataleAbtreibung 3 points 2 years ago

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

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ProstheticBrain 3 points 2 years 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".

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kaulquappus 1 point 9 months ago

In addition to the translation you already got: It very likely was not written by a German.

"Für" is missing the dots, and "ü" and "u" are not the same at all for us Germans - but you commonly see the replacement of u/ü by non-German speakers.

Also, grammatically, it shouldn't be "für unserem" (case Dativ), but "für unseren" (case Akkusativ).* While it is true that in dialects people might tend to use some cases more than others, "für unserem" seems unusual to me, I don't think people would say that even in their dialects. (In "official" German and my home dialect it would be plain wrong, that's for sure.)

*the second "e" in "unserem"/"unseren", however, can be dropped colloquially, as it was done in this case

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MrJameGumb -1 points 2 years ago

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