WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

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KosmoCramer
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WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

Hello all!

The photo here is my grandfather in WWII. He was an Italian partisan fighting the Germans and was also taken prisoner by the Germans. I found this old photo of him with a note written on the back.

The only text I can really make out is the bottom - “Partigiano Negrini” - I’m assuming it is possibly written by the person that gave him the card since my family name is Benne not Negrini.

The text at top looks different than the bottom. The top text looks more like my grandfathers handwriting but I’m not certain. He was from Orco Feglino in Savona. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

Here is the top text edited to make it more readable. Thanks again!
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mmogno
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by mmogno »

In the Savona area, "Negrini " was the battle name of Aldo Peluffi, born in Vado Ligure (SV) 2.04.1921. Worker, partisan of the brigade "Clelia Corradini", detachment "Santino Marcenaro "; from 5-2-1944 political commissioner of the Marcenaro detachment.
Emilio Lussu: “Che ne sarebbe della civiltà del mondo, se l’ingiusta violenza si potesse sempre imporre senza resistenza?” 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraine! 🇺🇦 🇮🇱תחי ישראל🇮🇱
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

mmogno wrote: 16 Aug 2018, 22:45 In the Savona area, "Negrini " was the battle name of Aldo Peluffi, born in Vado Ligure (SV) 2.04.1921. Worker, partisan of the brigade "Clelia Corradini", detachment "Santino Marcenaro "; from 5-2-1944 political commissioner of the Marcenaro detachment.
Do you know why Partigiano Negrini would be written? Could he have been who gave the photo to my grandfather? The photo itself is definitely my grandfather.
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

Also are you able to decipher any of the text up top... I really can’t figure out any of it
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

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Bump
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

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Bump
AngelaGrace56
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by AngelaGrace56 »

Interesting photo. I agree that the script at the top of the photo is different from the signature at the bottom which reads "Partisan Negrini".

I'm wondering whether the first word, while it looks like it starts with an "L" actually starts with a "C". It might be Cing.... which may have something to do with strapping things together?????

The last two lines possibly read:

W.C. (Water Closets??? or some war related abbreviation) - minna (mines) and
cappsule (this might be talking about weaponry)

Just throwing this out there. Do you have any other letters or postcards with the same writing?

Angela
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by mmogno »

AngelaGrace56 wrote: 14 May 2019, 22:21 Interesting photo. I agree that the script at the top of the photo is different from the signature at the bottom which reads "Partisan Negrini".

I'm wondering whether the first word, while it looks like it starts with an "L" actually starts with a "C". It might be Cinghia per l'arma W - C .... which may have something to do with strapping things together?????

The last two lines possibly read:

W.C. (Water Closets??? or some war related abbreviation)
- miccia (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/miccia1) and
cappsule = capsule = detonatori (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/detonatore/)
(this might be talking about weaponry esplosivi!!!)

Just throwing this out there. Do you have any other letters or postcards with the same writing?

Angela
Buongiorno @Angela. Sì, la nota si riferisce ad armamenti
Emilio Lussu: “Che ne sarebbe della civiltà del mondo, se l’ingiusta violenza si potesse sempre imporre senza resistenza?” 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraine! 🇺🇦 🇮🇱תחי ישראל🇮🇱
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by AngelaGrace56 »

mmogno wrote: 16 May 2019, 11:18
AngelaGrace56 wrote: 14 May 2019, 22:21 Interesting photo. I agree that the script at the top of the photo is different from the signature at the bottom which reads "Partisan Negrini".

I'm wondering whether the first word, while it looks like it starts with an "L" actually starts with a "C". It might be Cinghia per l'arma W - C .... which may have something to do with strapping things together?????

The last two lines possibly read:

W.C. (Water Closets??? or some war related abbreviation)
- miccia (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/miccia1) and
cappsule = capsule = detonatori (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/detonatore/)
(this might be talking about weaponry esplosivi!!!)

Just throwing this out there. Do you have any other letters or postcards with the same writing?

Angela
Buongiorno @Angela. Sì, la nota si riferisce ad armamenti
Buongiorno G. Wow this incredible!!! So I was on the right track... Thank you for confirming. Would be interesting to learn more about this.

Ciao Angela
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

mmogno wrote: 16 May 2019, 11:18
AngelaGrace56 wrote: 14 May 2019, 22:21 Interesting photo. I agree that the script at the top of the photo is different from the signature at the bottom which reads "Partisan Negrini".

I'm wondering whether the first word, while it looks like it starts with an "L" actually starts with a "C". It might be Cinghia per l'arma W - C .... which may have something to do with strapping things together?????

The last two lines possibly read:

W.C. (Water Closets??? or some war related abbreviation)
- miccia (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/miccia1) and
cappsule = capsule = detonatori (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/detonatore/)
(this might be talking about weaponry esplosivi!!!)

Just throwing this out there. Do you have any other letters or postcards with the same writing?

Angela
Buongiorno @Angela. Sì, la nota si riferisce ad armamenti
Grazie a entrambi per l'aiuto!

Mmogno, is the whole text “cinghia per l’arma - W.C. - miccia e cappsule ?

Thank you, Ciao
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by AngelaGrace56 »

KosmoCramer wrote: 17 May 2019, 04:53
mmogno wrote: 16 May 2019, 11:18
AngelaGrace56 wrote: 14 May 2019, 22:21 Interesting photo. I agree that the script at the top of the photo is different from the signature at the bottom which reads "Partisan Negrini".

I'm wondering whether the first word, while it looks like it starts with an "L" actually starts with a "C". It might be Cinghia per l'arma W - C .... which may have something to do with strapping things together?????

The last two lines possibly read:

W.C. (Water Closets??? or some war related abbreviation)
- miccia (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/miccia1) and
cappsule = capsule = detonatori (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/detonatore/)
(this might be talking about weaponry esplosivi!!!)

Just throwing this out there. Do you have any other letters or postcards with the same writing?

Angela
Buongiorno @Angela. Sì, la nota si riferisce ad armamenti
Grazie a entrambi per l'aiuto!

Mmogno, is the whole text “cinghia per l’arma - W.C. - miccia e cappsule ?

Thank you, Ciao
You are very welcome for the help, KosmoCramar. So pleased that mmogno was able to fill in the gaps.

Angela
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by KosmoCramer »

AngelaGrace56 wrote: 17 May 2019, 11:46
KosmoCramer wrote: 17 May 2019, 04:53
mmogno wrote: 16 May 2019, 11:18
Buongiorno @Angela. Sì, la nota si riferisce ad armamenti
Grazie a entrambi per l'aiuto!

Mmogno, is the whole text “cinghia per l’arma - W.C. - miccia e cappsule ?

Thank you, Ciao
You are very welcome for the help, KosmoCramar. So pleased that mmogno was able to fill in the gaps.

Angela

I was in my early teens when my grandfather passed away so I was never able to ask him much about the war. I knew he was a partisan / resistance but that was mostly it. I’ve had the photo for years but could never make out the hand writing because of my limited Italian; so I am very happy for all the help here and finally being able to know what was written.

By any chance would you or anyone here happen to know a good resource to find information about specific partisans in WW2? I found some information about the “Partigiano Negrini” which is signed on the back of the card. My grandfathers name was Antonio Benne
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by AngelaGrace56 »

KosmoCramer wrote: 17 May 2019, 12:43
AngelaGrace56 wrote: 17 May 2019, 11:46
KosmoCramer wrote: 17 May 2019, 04:53

Grazie a entrambi per l'aiuto!

Mmogno, is the whole text “cinghia per l’arma - W.C. - miccia e cappsule ?

Thank you, Ciao
You are very welcome for the help, KosmoCramar. So pleased that mmogno was able to fill in the gaps.

Angela

I was in my early teens when my grandfather passed away so I was never able to ask him much about the war. I knew he was a partisan / resistance but that was mostly it. I’ve had the photo for years but could never make out the hand writing because of my limited Italian; so I am very happy for all the help here and finally being able to know what was written.

By any chance would you or anyone here happen to know a good resource to find information about specific partisans in WW2? I found some information about the “Partigiano Negrini” which is signed on the back of the card. My grandfathers name was Antonio Benne
It's a fantastic photo. You should be very proud of your grandfather. He was fighting for a cause he believed in and I'm sure he would've been putting himself in constant danger to save others. I wonder what happened to his finger – little finger right hand is bandaged? I'm interpreting the words jotted down on the back of the photo as "Strap for the weapon ...... fuse and detonator". I don't know what the letters W and C mean? It would be interesting to know the time frame the photo was taken in, where it was taken, something about the building included in the photo, and also when he jotted down those words. It's intriguing....!!!

In answer to your question, I personally can't recommend "a good resource to find information about specific partisans in WW2." There is certainly a lot of information online about partisans. One of my dad's brothers was a freedom fighter and I need to investigate this topic further myself. (My dad spent most of the War as a POW in British hands.) If no one else can add to this thread, what I suggest you do is start up another thread on the "Italian History and Culture" section here on IG forum and ask the questions you would like answered there. Maybe you would get more answers there than on the translations forum.

(It would be interesting to request his Lista di Leva and any related military documents, if there are any, to see what they say. There will definitely be a Lista di leva for him.)

Best to you. Let us know if you find out more, or if you have any other queries.

Angela
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Re: WWII photo / postcard - handwriting help

Post by mmogno »

I suggest you write to the Institute for the History of the Resistance in Savona, sending them a copy of the photo. I think they would be very interested in receiving a document of that period for their archive and might be able to provide more accurate information about the meaning of the script. This institute is certainly the best resource to find information about specific partisans in Savona area.

https://www.isrecsavona.it/

ISREC Savona
Via Ermanno Maciocio, 21R
17100 Savona (SV)
Tel +39 019 813553
E-mail isrec@isrecsavona.it

In the Institute's database there is a card for Antonio Benne (albeit with inconsistencies):
https://www.ilsrec.it/database/partigia ... rcaID=3111

I am willing to make contact in your name, if you authorize me to do so.
Do you have any other similar photos?
Emilio Lussu: “Che ne sarebbe della civiltà del mondo, se l’ingiusta violenza si potesse sempre imporre senza resistenza?” 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraine! 🇺🇦 🇮🇱תחי ישראל🇮🇱
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