: War Prisoner Money and Medals by Kisch Guido - Money; Numismatics; Prisoners of war; Medals; Coins

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WAR PRISONER MONEY AND MEDALS

Reprinted from THE NUMISMATIST 1963

I Internment Camp Money

The guarantee of humane treatment for prisoners of war is an achievement of modern international law. This interesting and important legal problem was discussed at great length at several international conferences at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. A kind of ethical and legal code resulted consisting of a comprehensive body of rules and regulations, both written and unwritten. The International Red Cross played an important part in the development and crystallization of those humanitarian ideals as they are embodied today in the provisions of the international law concerning prisoners of war. Its rules have been explicitly or tacitly accepted and to a great extent put into practice by most of the civilized nations of the world. Their disregard, as in the recently reported case of 115 helpless American military prisoners of war murdered in cold blood by the Germans near Malmedy, or in the notorious death camps of Oswiecim and Belsen-Bergen, is a relapse into barbarism, characteristic of the Hitlerite hordes. As a rule, however, the status of prisoners of war is universally respected and they receive a fair treatment from all nations, in accordance with the rules of international law. They may be employed by their captors for certain labors, but must be accorded fair living conditions.

Considerations of war economy and corresponding military precautions created the necessity of issuing special money for the use of prisoners of war. A shortage in currency is often an unavoidable result of national war conditions. It would be greatly increased, of course, if the actual use of national currency would be permitted also to the rising numbers of captives. The issuance of special currency for the exclusive use of war prisoners is therefore an act of national defense in wartime. The use of this special type of money, for which both paper and metal are employed, is restricted in a twofold way. Its circulation is limited to war prisoners, and--even more strictly--to definite internment camps. The prisoners' specially made money, often easily distinguishable through a round or square hole in the center, is excluded from general monetary circulation. The prisoner is not able to buy articles in the ordinary channels of the national commerce. Moreover, he is left without means in case of escape.

These are the ideas and motives underlying the issuance of separate money for prisoners of war.

Obviously, numismatic interest turned quickly to the items of this previously little known type of war emergency money. In the very beginning, most probably, everyone thought that it would be a quickly passing numismatic phenomenon. No one could at that time realize the dimensions that production of war prisoner money would finally reach. All this notwithstanding, the literature on this special kind of money is scarce, incomplete and widely scattered. The appended select bibliography might therefore be welcome to those interested in this field of collecting which probably will be revived soon after the return of peace. It is needless to state that no claim is being made of completeness in the bibliographical data offered below.

No doubt, in the present war, too, internment camp money has been issued. Scanty news on such money issued in Great Britain, particularly in the Isle of Man internment camp for civilian and soldier prisoners of war, has already been brought to the attention of numismatists. A member of the Czechoslovak State Council in London, Mr. Ernest Frischer, recently informed the present writer that internment camp money is in use in the ill-famed concentration camp of Terezin in Bohemia, where about 50,000 Jews are being held by their German "Protectors." According to information received by the War Department in Washington, on the other hand, "no special type of money is issued for the use of prisoners of war held in this country. However, prisoners of war are issued 'canteen checks,' a form of script which is given them in lieu of cash. This script is redeemable for merchandise at prison camp post exchanges. This script is not uniform, each of the several Service Commands procuring it and issuing it to camps within its jurisdiction. No photographs of the canteen checks are available."

Naturally, more detailed and definite information will be available only after the termination of hostilities and the restoration of unimpeded research channels.

II European War-Prisoner Medals

With regard to war prisoner medals, the numismatic situation is completely different from that outlined here for internment camp money. True, there may have been also a "mass production" of such medallic items in Europe during the war of 1914-1918. But it never could have paralleled that of the emergency money for internment camps.

Two motives, above all, caused the issuance of war prisoner medals: the raising of funds for the support of prisoners of war or the amelioration of their condition; and the creation of the commemorative tokens or medals for presentation to captives after their liberation. It is doubtful and highly improbable, that the "mass production" of such medals ever reached in quantity a volume equal to that of war prisoners money. The number issued may well run into hundreds, at most a few thousands, but certainly not many thousands. For, to the best of this author's knowledge, no commemorative war medal in the form of an official decoration to be given to all war prisoners in general was issued by any of the states participating in the First World War. Nor did any of the European states that remained neutral and held members of the belligerents in internment camps, issue commemorative medals for internees. This suggestion may well deserve the attention of the United Nations' military authorities. After the present war a special commemorative medal of honor should be issued, intended for those who had to endure the great hardships of captivity for their country, often suffering undescribable physical and mental restraint. Such a token of gratitude would show to these heroes that they, too, had not been forgotten and that their sacrifice is duly appreciated and will permanently be remembered.

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