Postal Stationery

A 4 cents postcard was issues on 29 April 1943. In the same stamp design as the 4 cents stamps, the wording is also in red. Most of the card are on quite flimsy light-weight card, which is watermarked: ‘Government Printing Works Singapore’. The watermark extends across several cards, so a card may have part of it or a straight line or no visible watermark. The watermark tells where the card came from and probably where the postcards were printed. A vast number of these cards were printed and used postally. 

Sender 

Sob Akau Akir
Telok Bharu
Lower Perak
Perak

The sender name was unsure, quite hard to read.
 
Recipient 

Haji Razzalli
Post Office
Kuala Kangsar
Perak
 

Message (Transcribed As It Is) 

Telok ANSON
Telok Bharu
10.4.05
 
Yang Mulia Anakanda Hj. Razzalli
dengan berolih kesejahteraan.Nya.
Perkabaran di-sini di dalam sehat di-
harapkan sebelah pehak anakanda begitu jua
Diri ayahanda sudah di-jodohkan olih
saudara2 ayahanda dengan orang kampong
ayahanda juga. Selalu kah anakanda dapat
perkabaran dari pada Terengganu
? tiadalah apa hanya ?i banyak
salam sahaja kepada anakanda dua laki ?
Jarah

In Modern Malay 

Telok Anson
Telok Bharu
10 April 2605

Yang mulia anakanda Haji Razzalli
dengan beroleh kesejahteraan-Nya.
perkhabaran di sini di dalam sihat di-
harapkan sebelah pihak anakanda begitu juga
Diri ayahanda sudah dijodohkan oleh
saudara-saudara ayahanda dengan orang kampung
ayahanda juga. Selalukah anakanda mendapat
perkhabaran dari Terenggau
? Tiadalah apa hanya ?i banyak
salam sahaja kepada anakanda suami isteri ?
Jarah

 Card's Physical Observation
 
Postcard size: 139 x 85.5 mm

Sender

	Total Dots	Length*	Spacing from upper line*
Line 1	32	49.5
Line 2	32	49.5	9.5
Line 3	32	49.5	9.5
Line 4	32	49.5	9.5

* In milimeter (mm).
 
Recipient
 

	Total Dots	Length*	Spacing from upper line*
Line 1	45	70
Line 2	45	70	12
Line 3	45	70	12
Line 4	45	70	12

* In milimeter (mm).
 
 
Visible watermark: NGAPORE
Vertical and properly read from the reverse of the postcard.
 
Thin card
 
Observation
 
Written with blue (fountain?) pen in classic Malay. Old spelling for example, ‘olih’ (modern spelling: oleh)
 
Postmark
 
Date: 1.5.2605
Translated into Gregorian calendar: 1 May 1945 

(Japanese characters)
2605
5 1
(Japanese characters)

The Japanese characters in the ring was read as TELOK ANSON.

All daters (postmarks) of Telok Anson including characters show an error in writing, not "te-ru-ku an-so-n", but "ra-ru-ku an-so-n", ra instead of te. (Also true for the 5 commemorative markings used at Telok Anson)

The reading of postmark on the postcard is otherwhise standard, so:


The shown postmark is of large type with stars is recorded for Telok Anson used between January 1944 until August 1945 (Proud / 1992).

Then the processing time was rather long. Assuming the writer sent it between 10 April 2605 and a week after 17 April 2605.
 
Censor Mark Cachet
 
At right: クアラカンサ局 Japanese Characters ???
At left: 検閲済 – Censored
 
Not properly readable, but making a guess from previous known information.

As a rule, in occupied Malaya censorship of ordinary mail was done in the office of dispatch, not arrival.

So the completely unreadable censor mark top left should be of Telok Anson, not Kuala Kangsar.
 
Indicia

At top: 大日本帝国郵便 - Imperial Japanese Posts
At bottom middle: マライ - Malaya
At bottom left: 4 セント - 4 Cents

Postcard

The heading on the card reads
郵便はがき
English: Postcard
Malay: Poskad

The Japanese and Malay at upper right are
名宛
Malay: Alamat
English: Address

The Japanese and Malay at upper left are
差出人居所氏名
Malay: Nama dan Alamat Sipengirim
English: Name and address of sender


Notes

1. Thank you to Thomas Slemons (Tom) as the source for this postcard and reading the postmark.
2. Need to read the sender's name and the message.
3. Translate the message into proper English.
4. Get the Japanese characters in its original spelling.
5. Thanks to ligneN (Wiesbaden, Germany) for explanation regarding postmark and its Japanese characters, as well as information regarding censoring.

Japanese Occupation of Malaya, the Pictorial Issues written by Susan McEwen. Published by Malaya Study Group G.S.M April 2009.

EXONUMI INTERNAL REFERENCE: TOM-1