Wiltshire postcard in Dutch to Artillerie Siege, Kamp Huntewijjeh, Holland. PoW??

[Moonraker]

This postcard has been for sale for some time. I would guess that it was sent by a Dutch person (perhaps a refugee, not that I've come across any in Wiltshire) ) to a relative serving with the Siege Artillery at Huntewijjeh in Holland. But ... it bears a "prisoner of war post" rubber-stamp mark and Googling produces nothing for Huntewijjeh.

Perhaps the postcard went from Hindon to a central office for overseas mail, probably in London, where it was assumed that Paul Boormans was a German PoW held in a Dutch camp?

I suspect that were the message to be translated into English it would reveal only banal remarks and no clues.

Thoughts, ideas and opinions would be welcome, please.

[knittinganddeath]

I think it might say Harderwijk.

This is what I make of the text:

Ik heb vandaag een kaartje van Jan ........ ontvangen hij schrijft dat aan 't front alles "all richt" is 't is er warm maar 't is er goed: zecht (zegt?) de kerel dien schijnt niet erg bang te zijn. Alfons van ...... schrijft ook regelmatig, diens heeft het zoo breed niet.

Today I received a card from Jan ....... he writes that at the front everything is "OK" it is hot but it is good says the fellow who doesn't seem to be very afraid. Alfons van ....... also writes regularly, he doesn't have it as good (?).

Edited 26 August , 2021 by knittinganddeath

[Marco]

Agree, it says Harderwijck. Old or erroneous spelling for Harderwijk.

If I was a censor, I would wonder if this is a coded message…

Talks about 2 persons who write a lot. one is brave the other poor and it is hot? Nothing else. 

[JWK]

Names in the message are Jan Meulepas and Alfons van Roy, who seem to be Belgian soldiers on active duty?

Adressed to Paul Broomans, from Lierre [? Maybe Lier near Antwerp?].

His Regimental Rollnr is 6654, and he arrived in Kamp Harderwijk ("The Belgian Camp") on 5 Jan 1915.

Can't find a photo of Barack 6, will Barack 28 do?

What was the Belgian sender of the card doing in Hindon, UK? And why is there a stamp "Post Free. Prisoner of War"?

 

Edited 26 August , 2021 by JWK

[knittinganddeath]

Paul Broomans has a card at the ICRC here but I can't see that it's possible to see file PBH 387, the only options for input seem to be PB.

That said, PB 387 has a list of wounded Belgians who came to the Belgian Auxiliary Hospital in Charing, Kent, England. Maybe the sender of the card came to England in a similar way?

Edited 26 August , 2021 by knittinganddeath

[Moonraker]

Ah, thanks guys. It makes a bit more sense now. I should have remembered that Dutch is one of Belgium's three languages. Belgian refugees were in many parts of Wiltshire early in the war, sometimes in very small villages - and in other parts of the country.

Old thread

I have an email address for Ivor Slocombe, so shall refer this thread to him.

[Niko]

On 26/08/2021 at 22:36, knittinganddeath said:

Paul Broomans has a card at the ICRC here but I can't see that it's possible to see file PBH 387, the only options for input seem to be PB.

That said, PB 387 has a list of wounded Belgians who came to the Belgian Auxiliary Hospital in Charing, Kent, England. Maybe the sender of the card came to England in a similar way?

PBH stands for 'Prisonier Belge en Hollande' so Belgian prisoner in Holland. These lists are not online.

16th Batterie de Siege was defending Fort8, Hoboken of the inner circle in 1914.

[JWK]

@Niko

There is a work-around to get a list of the names of Belgian refugees (both soldiers and civilians) in Camp Harderwijk:

https://www.streekarchivariaat.nl/zoeken-door-archieven?mivast=434&miadt=434&mizig=100&miview=tbl&milang=nl&micols=1&mizk_alle=Belgische vluchtelingen