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5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Crimea War
| Issuer | Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
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| Shape | Round |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II BAILIWICK OF GUERNSEY IRB 2004 |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts Sergeant Luke O'Connor, the first Army recipient of the Victoria Cross, shown prominently above a detailed battle scene commemorating the Battle of Alma of 1854, featuring soldiers bearing a regimental flag amid the heat of combat. The commemorative dates 1854 and 2004 flank the word CRIMEA in the upper field, marking the 150th anniversary of the Crimean War, while the denomination FIVE POUNDS appears along the lower legend. |
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| Additional information |
Guernsey's commemorative output in the early 2000s leaned heavily on British military anniversaries, and this piece marks the 150th anniversary of the Crimean War — the conflict that killed more British soldiers through cholera and dysentery than through Russian fire. Florence Nightingale's work at Scutari during that war directly triggered the professionalization of military nursing, and the war itself exposed catastrophic failures in British Army logistics that forced structural reforms under Secretary of State Sidney Herbert.
The copper-nickel composition places this firmly in the non-circulating commemorative category despite its face value, produced for the collector market rather than Guernsey's modest domestic circulation needs.