2 Dollars Government Issue

British Guiana's government-issued notes of this period existed because the colony lacked a chartered bank with note-issuing rights that could meet local demand at smaller denominations. Waterlow & Sons handled the printing in London, as they did for a substantial portion of British colonial paper money during the interwar and wartime years.

The 1937–1942 date range spans the onset of the Second World War, which created genuine practical difficulties in getting printed currency stock from London to Georgetown. Shipping disruptions meant some colonial territories held extended note issues well beyond their intended replacement cycles, and British Guiana was no exception.