I have just discovered a cache of approximately a dozen letters written to my grandfather from his family in Belmonte Mezzagno. The letters were written between 1932 and 1945. One letter is undated and appears to be the handwriting of a child. Most of the letters are 4 pages in length. Here is a short two page letter as a sample.

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I have scanned all of the letters into PDF format with each page scanned as a separate document although I can combine pages into one PDF document or create JPG's of the pages. I am afraid my progress in translating is akin to the efforts of Sisyphus. I would appreciate any help and/or suggestions regarding the letters.

Carole told me the members here loved challenges!

Tom

Hi Tom!

I had a quick look at your letters and while my Italian isn't the best, I was able to make out most of the words without too much difficulty so I'm sure the pros here will have no problem translating them for you.

Great letter! Also if it's written in a basic italian (whit "some" mis-spells) it is - full of feeling -
I'll give you a word-by-word transcription and a revisited one:

W-B-W: Dungue caro mio affezio nato mio fratello primo da tutto vidono un fortte abbrassio ate ed alla mia cara cognata Giuseppina che sono molto desideroso di vedervi ma sedio vuole nidoobiamo vedere di nuovo da uno presenza. Basta caro mio fratello voglio sapere se questa lettera la fatto tu o puro mia cognata emi deve dire selai fatto tu che io ti posso dire che le lettere gli li farò io emideve scosare che secisono erore adio adio!! Dungue caro fratello questo sarà il mio derizzo. 92 Regg.to fanteria III Compagnia 17 Divisione perdove si trova adio adio mio caro fratello Arralti buona sera

R: Mio caro affezionato fratello, come prima cosa voglio dare un forte abbraccio a te e alla mia cara cognata Giuseppina; ho un gran desiderio di rivedervi e, se Dio vuole, ci dovremo rincontrare presto. Ma basta [forse riferito alla malinconia di questi pensieri] mio caro fratello: voglio sapere se la lettera che ho qui l'hai scritta tu o mia cognata; posso dirti che le mie lettere le scriverò interamente io e dovrai scusarmi se ci saranno (oddio, oddio) degli errori. Il mio nuovo indirizzo sarà dunque: 92° Reggimento di Fanteria - 3ª Compagnia - 17ª Divisione [del pezzo che segue non riesco a capire il significato !!]

Tom, tell me if in this way you are able to understand it.

Ciao
Luca

Thanks, Luca. I'll give it a go. I don't know Italian but I'd like to understand as much as I can. From what I have skimmed on the other letters, they tell a very interesting story, hardship, etc. as one might expect for the times. I'll post another letter soon. I'm not certain I will be able to get them in chronological order, but I'll try.

Tom

Tom, from what I understand, and more especially after reading Luca's version, he was writing from his new station at War to his brother. He is sending hugs to his brother and his dear sister in law. I know this isn't the best translation or the most accurate but its what I can make out.

Anybody want to translate Luca's italian version of the letters for Tom? I'm sure that there are some of you who can do these letters the justice they deserve and learn a bit more Italian in the process.

It's 2AM here at the moment and I'm just going to bed. But if no one does them tonight (USA/Canada evening) - then I'll have a go in the morning.

Don't worry though Tom - you will gat your translation....

Thank you so much liviomoreno! I wonder if the reference to Arralti is a self-reference as my grandfather's name is Ignazio. The reference to seeing my grandmother again supports my mother's claim that one or two of my grandfather's family came to America after he did but returned after a short time.

Tom

Here is a more typical letter (at least in length) in the series.

Page 1:
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Page 2:
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Page 3:
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Page 4:
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Tom

I love all this old letters. Can't wait to hear the translation.

What a beautiful letter! How lucky you are to have them. So he was a soldier writing his brother - this really gives you a clear picture of the man who wrote them. Thanks for posting them.

OK folks, our other translator helpers don't seem to be around at the moment (it is the weekend after all) so I'll take the top two of the last ones posted by Tom to start with. Just so if anyone else arrives in the meantime our work won't be duplicated....

So I will take: Page 1 and Page 2 - OK?

Wait Carole!

tjbrn wrote:

Page 1: img341.imageshack.us/i...ge1mc6.jpg W-B-W: Belmonte Mezzagno li 28 Luglio 1945. Mio caro fratello, con lungo ritardo ti darò notizia dalla [della] mia ottima salute, come puro [pure] la mia sposa e i miei cari figli tutti, come pure spero che a ritorno da [di] questa mia cara lettera trovo bene a te e tua cara sposa e i tuoi amati figli. Mio carissimo fratello mi devi perdonare che non ti o [ho] scritto il motivo che aveva smarrito questa tua lettera che i miei figli sono come tanti diavoli, la figlia più grande che si chiama Giuseppina il nome dalla [della] mamma ... Approximately: My dear brother, too late I give you news about my very good healt, and so of my wife and dear childrens, and as well I hope to hear good news from you, your wife and childrens when you'll write back to me. My dearest brother, would you forgive me about my delay in writing you but I wasn't able to recover your letter, cause my childrens are little devils; the oldest of my daughters, Giuseppina, the same name that her(?) mum ... Page 2: img373.imageshack.us/i...ge2yp9.jpg Non appena sono terminato di leggere la lettera la [l'ha] conservato lui e non so dove l'aveva messa, cerca gira cerca la sia [zia?] trovato questa lettera e così ti scrivo con lungo ritardo, che la famiglia e già da [di] sei [sei persone]. Amato fratello non mi resta altro da dirti, mi resta darti tanti forti strette di mano e mille cari baci uniti con [anche da parte della] mia sposa assieme con [anche alla] tua amata sposa. Tanti cari baci di [dai] miei figli e vi baciamo li elbani[?], come puro [pure] salutano ai suoi [loro] cugini e fanni [gli mandano] tanti baci; noi tutti baciamo ai vostri cari figli. Mentre ricevi tanti saluti da tua cognata Carmela e [mia] sposa, tanti saluti dai suoi figli, come

tjbrn wrote:

Page 3: img201.imageshack.us/i...ge3og7.jpg Pure baciamo li Mani [edited] a sua madre, e ci domandiamo la ...(?), noi tutti salutiamo a tua sogera [suocera] e cognati tutti, mentre io e mia sposa salutiamo da vero cuore e mille forti abbracci e baci sono io tuo affettuosissimo fratello Tano [forse diminutivo di Gaetano] Cognata carissima oggi stesso mia [mi ha] visto vostra sorella Carmela, e mia [mi ha] domandato: Tano ma ti scrisse tuo fratello? E così oggi stesso mia [mi ha] fatto rammentare di questa lettera spero che non appena ricevuta questa mia lettera mi scrivete subito, forse vi avete [siete] offeso che io non sono [ho] scritto più? ma per mentre io sono ... Sorry for my poor translation: We kiss the hand of her mother [his wife's mother, I suppose], and we ask for (?), we all greet your mother-in-law and all the brothers-in-law, while I and my wife greet you whit all our heart, one thousand hugs and kisses from your fond brother Tano. Dear sister-in-law, today I met your sister and she asked me: Tano, did you have news from your brother? So I immediately remembered about this letter of yours; I hope you'll write back as soon as you'll receive this mine; maybe you took offense of my delay? But meanwhile I'm ...

Carole: the last is all for you (so the translation of the second one)
Ciao
Luca

Ok - Thanks for that Luca - we seem to have been doing the same thing at the same time. But here are my offerings for pages 1 and 2 anyway....

And Tom - If someone else doesn't do page No 4 then I'll do it in the morning.

Page 1:
My dear brother,
Very late but I give you news of my very good health and that of my
wife and all my dear children, as I hope that this my der letter finds
you, your dear wife and your loved ones.
My dearest brother you must forgive me for not writing the reason was
that I mislaid your letter that my children are like many little devils,
the eldest daughter who is called Giuseppina the name of our mother.

Page 2
As soon as I finished reading your letter I saved it and I don't know
where I put it, I looked here and looked there and I found this letter
and so I am writing very late, that the family well. There just remains
my dearest brother to send you many many strong hand shakes and a thousand
kisses together with my wife together with your beloved wife many dear
kisses from my children and they kiss your hands as we salute our dear
cousins and send many kisses from us all. We kiss your dear children,
while I send beat wishes from your sister in law Carmela and many wishes
from her children, as....

to be continued on Page 3. (see Luca's translation)