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10 Shillings
| Issuer | British War Department |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1948 |
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| Reference(s) | Camb#5021 |
| Obverse description | An overall orange underprint of repeated small motifs covers the entire face, with the large letters 'WD' (War Department) reserved in white as a security underprint device. Black letterpress text at the top reads 'PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS', followed by a dotted line for the camp of issue designation; a central rectangular panel carries the denomination 'TEN SHILLINGS' in bold type with corner ornaments, while the numeric value '10s. 0d.' appears in large bold type at the lower right and the restriction legend 'AVAILABLE IN CAMP OF ISSUE ONLY' runs along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS CAMP OF ISSUE TEN SHILLINGS WD 10s. 0d. AVAILABLE IN CAMP OF ISSUE ONLY |
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| Comments |
The British War Department currency series was issued strictly for use by Allied military personnel in occupied and liberated territories — a parallel payment system designed to prevent local economies from being destabilized by standard sterling. Soldiers could spend them; local populations theoretically could not.
The practical reality was messier. Notes filtered into civilian hands across North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe, and the postwar redemption period dragged on as the War Office tried to account for unspent stocks held by demobilizing units. The seven-year date span reflects protracted issue and withdrawal rather than a single print run.