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Sandwich voucher Maison du Colon
| Issuer | U.S. Naval Operating Base, Oran – Welfare & Recreation Section |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream-tan cardboard stock with all text in black letterpress, no vignette or decorative underprint. The denomination ONE SANDWICH is set in large bold type at centre, with issuing authority text above in smaller capitals. A restriction clause at foot limits use to U.S. Army and Navy personnel. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | MAISON DU COLON ENLISTED MENS SNACK BAR OPERATED BY WELFARE & RECREATION SECTION U.S. NAVAL OPERATING BASE, ORAN ONE SANDWICH For U.S. Army and Navy Personnel Only |
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| Comments |
Issued at the U.S. Naval Operating Base established at Oran following the Operation Torch landings in November 1942, this voucher was produced locally by the Welfare & Recreation Section to manage canteen transactions — almost certainly at the Maison du Colon, a French colonial social club requisitioned for American servicemen's use. Local printing on cardboard stock was the only practical option; supply lines for purpose-printed scrip from the United States were not a priority in the immediate aftermath of an amphibious assault.
Oran's port facilities were among the primary objectives of Torch precisely because of their logistical value, and the base grew rapidly in the months that followed. This kind of improvised welfare scrip is among the most ephemeral documentation of that expansion.