# 蘭, 下



## goop_nl

Attached is a small sign that is presumably worn by a Dutch prisoner of war in a Japanese camp in Indonesia during WWII.
Can anyone tell me the meaning of the characters?
Much appreciated.
Rob


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## Muz1234

I know the second kanji, but first I do not know. It is just surprising that Japan was an advanced society during WW2, even better than China, even though they adopt Chinese characters that actually comes from China.


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## バイロン

The first kanji, on the left, is 蘭.  With the context you've given, of it's multiple readings the most likely would be that it is read  ラン　or らん　－ which is an abbreviation of　阿蘭陀（オランダ）OR蘭国（らんこく） which would mean Holland or The Netherlands; otherwise, it would be read as Orchid.




The second kanji, the one on the right, is 下.   Which means under or below.

What it means as a prisoner tag, I haven't a clue, but hopefully this helps somewhat.


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## Muz1234

I wonder where this sign is put on the prisoner? On the door?


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## Flaminius

下 is no doubt a subcategory for the Dutch prisoners of war.  The problem is what it means.  It could be an omission for a word that begins with 下 or it could be some kind of classification (based on the rank?).

Rob, how the tag was used is a vital piece of information for pinning down that 下 meant.  Here is an example of information that the Japanese military accumulated on a Dutch POW that comes from the National Archive.


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## goop_nl

thanks for your answers. As you can see on this picture, the badge has a safety pin, so I expect it worn as a badge with a visible identification on their clothes.


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## Muz1234

Where do you get the badge? It is quite rare to own this, was it your grandfathers?


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## goop_nl

Because the badge had a safety pin attached, I think it was worn on their clothes as an identification.
So, would I be correct to assume, the left character means "The Netherlands" and the right character means something like "below" pointing to the prisoner number?


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## Muz1234

Probably so, yeah.


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## Flaminius

If it is a badge, it must have been meant for identification within the camp. The registration cards you can see in Gehetna make me assume that, as long as one is in one camp, the number itself would be sufficient for uniquely matching the badge and the wearer.  下 probably tells something more about the POW.  Incidentally, 下 is the first letter for 下士官, non-commissioned officer.


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## goop_nl

Thank you all for your answers, this helped a lot.
Best regards,
Rob


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