Catalog
4 Annas Bhopal; PoW Camps
| Issuer | Bhopal Prisoner of War Camp |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1945 |
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| Value | 4 Annas (¼) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue on cream paper, the voucher bears a central guilloche rosette underprint over which a black letterpress overprint renders the denomination "FOUR ANNAS" and camp name "BHOPAL" in bold capitals. The inscription "PRISONERS OF WAR" arcs across the top and "CAMP" appears at the foot, while the abbreviated denomination "As. 4" is repeated in cartouches at both left and right within a scalloped guilloche border frame. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | PRISONERS OF WAR FOUR ANNAS As.4 BHOPAL CAMP |
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| Comments |
Bhopal State hosted a prisoner of war camp during World War II, and like many Indian PoW facilities under British administration, it issued its own internal scrip to control purchasing within the camp economy. These notes were not legal tender outside the wire — they functioned as a closed monetary system, preventing detainees from accumulating currency useful for escape or barter with locals.
The Campbell reference 5101 places this among a loose category of Indian PoW issues that remain genuinely difficult to date precisely within the 1941–1945 window. Surviving examples are rare; most scrip of this type was deliberately destroyed or simply discarded at war's end.