50 Cents - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Australians at War - Empire Air Training Scheme

The Empire Air Training Scheme, established under a December 1939 agreement between Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, trained over 131,000 aircrew by the time it wound down in 1945. Australia contributed disproportionately — more than 27,000 Australians passed through EATS programs, many training on home soil before being posted to operational theaters in Europe and the Pacific. The scheme was Churchill's own preferred priority in the early war years, believing trained aircrew more decisive than ground troops.

This piece is part of the broader "Australians at War" series issued across 2015, each coin in the run commemorating a distinct service or campaign.