Can anyone help me decipher this signature?

[LaBelleSauvage123]

I’m doing some family tree research and can’t find this person - it’s definitely a male. What do you think?

But thanks so much for all your suggestions. I think the German script Vanguard linked to looks very like his handwriting - but I still can’t work out the letters!

The problem with signatures is the embellishments. It's always easier knowing the known, suspected, or potential backgrounds of the people involved. It's also easier with a larger sample of their handwriting (the whole letter if you're prepared to share it).

Letters within a word often look different to letters on the end of a word, the "y" in affectionately appears to have a similar embellishment to the last letter of the surname. It looks like the writer uses two different embellishments, a high form and a low form.

For the christian name three possibilities I can see:

• Hans/Hanns (I think this is extremely unlikely)
• Ham (yes, it's a traditional name - more likely if there's Jewish ancestry)
• Ham. as an abbreviation (not the full stop in the signature, for what I'm not sure - Hamish?)
• Harris (compare with the "r" in "Yours" on the line above, but note that the "i" in "remain"/"affectionately" have been dotted and the signature hasn't)
• Harry (with the "y" lost in an embellishment)

For the surname:

• Kylh--t
• Kyll---t
• Kylt---t
• Kiplt--t

I'm fairly confident it ends with "t" and a flourish.

If you could share the whole letter we'd have a lot more to go on.

I think it looks like Harry/Harris for first name.

This seems a long way off. But from a distance it looked like James Kilburn.

Ok will share the whole letter - don’t think it’s very outing!

Page 2

Sorry about my shadow 😳. Can you make it out?

I think it ends in Huntz. Kegl/Kuglhunzt makes the most sense

Hans Kylhuul

?

With more to go on the surname has even more possibilities
Kyll*
Kylt*
Kytt*

There are examples of "tt" and "ll" in the text, other examples where one bar strike is used for two separated "t"s (as in "that").

The handwriting script is quite conventional for English of the period, I'd avoid getting hung up on the idea the writer is German or of German descent and letting that bias the interpretation.

He's initialled the small extra bit written in the lower left corner of the second page, it would be nice to see that enlarged to confirm it's "HK".

There's another source you can try if Ancestry (or similar) has access to passenger manifests from the Dominion Line. The author mentions hes travelled many times on the SS Derbyshire. Are there any sources of records of English people living in Alexandria in/around 1924?

Ham Kylhunt

Ham Kylbunt

I think it may be Kylbury - a quick Google shows that name in some historic records

Kylburg?

Hans Kyltwuz?

Kyltwut
Kyltuwt
Kyltuwz

Hans could be a diminutive for Johannes, if that helps at all.

Still looking at this but I think the first name is abbreviated, as it seems an informal communication. Looks as though it says. Ha..d, so I would take that to be Harold/Harald.

Hans Kylhurt
Hans Kylturts
Kyktwrtz
Kyltwrt

Surname like as though it begins Ry (compared with letters on the address on the first page)

It's 'Hanns' with a double n

Hans Kylyhuutz

I've revised my thoughts - Kempthorn or something similar for surname?
Looking on findmypast there is an HT Kempthorne on a passenger list for 1922 from Liverpool to Cairo via Burma. I'll pm you a screen shot.

Could it be a Kj instead of a Ky. Kj appear together in Scandinavian names. Although the rest doesn’t fit with Scandinavian origin.

The last two letters of the surname are interesting - see, he tops his 'T' high up, so I don't think the second last letter is a T - I think that's the top of a previous T (like the 3rd letter) going through an L. So it would be something like K, y/z/g, t, l/b, ?,?, l , s,