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5 Shillings Onchan Internment Camp
| Issuer | Onchan Internment Camp |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940-1945 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red on cream paper. Vignette of the Tower of Refuge at left within a rounded rectangular frame. Camp name in script lettering upper centre, denomination numeral "5" in a rounded cartouche upper right, with "FIVE SHILLINGS" in elaborate Gothic lettering across the centre. "Isle of Man" in script lower left, serial number in a plain panel lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Onchan Internment Camp 5 SHILLINGS Five Shillings Isle of Man |
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| Comments |
Onchan was one of several internment camps established on the Isle of Man during the Second World War, housing predominantly German and Austrian civilian internees — artists, musicians, academics, and Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany, now paradoxically interned by the British government under Defence Regulation 18B. The camp scrip issued there, including this 5 Shillings piece, was a practical necessity: internees needed a medium of exchange for the camp canteen, but could not legally hold sterling.
The Onchan notes are among the better-documented of the Isle of Man camp issues, partly because several internees were professionals who documented daily life in detail. Forgery attempts within the camps were not unheard of — a genuine concern given the population's technical sophistication.