Tonight we turn to another allied occupation note issued in Germany in the aftermath of the collapse of the Nazi regime, this time the 50 pfennig or 1/2 mark note:
As with the one reichsmark note we looked at here, the reverse of the note has an elaborate ‘M’ logo rendered in brown ink:
The control of exchange rates and currency was tightly regulated by the allied authorities in an attempt to prevent inflation in Europe and to prevent allied soldiers from committing fraud by receiving their pay in one currency, then converting it into another at a favourable rate on the black market before paying it back into their accounts for a substantial profit.
Soldiers were paid part of their wage in local currency, such as military issue marks, in order that they can spend this on things they wish to purchase locally. If the soldier was to take the surplus and purchase a savings deposit or a government savings bond this is legal as the money has been given to him in lieu of sterling and is legally his. If however he were to use his marks to purchase items at the NAAFI, then sell these to the German civilian population for a profit before paying the reichsmarks he received from the transaction back into his saving account to claim later in pounds sterling then he has committed an act of fraud.
This abuse of local currencies was even more obvious in the Middle East where American troops could buy a gold sovereign in Cairo for $20, the sell the same coin Naples for 6000 lire which would then be exchanged back into dollars for $60. The armies of all the allied nations tried to stamp out this currency abuse as it fuelled inflation as well as supporting the criminal and black markets in occupied Europe, however these sort of loose practices were hard to spot and most soldiers did not see that they were doing anything wrong by taking advantage of this loophole. Even today the actual extent of this currency abuse is unclear as its impact on the fragile economies of the continent.
Very unusually, this airgraph has survived with its original envelope intact:
The airgraph, after it had been printed back to a readable size was placed in this envelope before being posted to the recipient. When airgraphs were introduced, the Daily Mail explained how the new service would work:
The main picture has a selection of soldiers from the South East Asian command including American, Indian and Ghurka troops:
The sender was a Gunner Reginald Edmunds of the Dorset Regiment:
There seems to be an inordinate array of these airgraphs out there to collect, often illustrated and with personal messages which make them a fascinating topic for the militaria collector.
The details of the sender in the corner show which camp he was stationed in and his name, Edwin Edmunds:
Whilst the stamp in the top corner indicates that the card was sent through the German postal system in November 1944:
The rear of the postcard has the prisoners message:
This reads:
The British government issued a myriad of different identity documents to British civilians, military personnel and civil defence workers. Further documents were provided for those from allied countries and exiled military personnel. Many of these documents have survived to the present day and this book provides a comprehensive guide to them. The book covers both the common and mundane as well as the more obscure pieces that are highly unlikely to come into a collector’s hands. As well as covering the documents themselves, the author explains much of the internal administrative process of recording the details of an entire nation and simple information such as what the letter codes on civilian identity cards mean is covered- something highly interesting and not to be found in many other publications.
Unlike the other books in this series, this volume is mainly illustrated with copies of the identity documents themselves. These are reproduced in clear colour images and are all easily readable, this is part of the strength of the volume as it allows the reader to closely examine documents that are usually at best a blurry part of a larger photograph. Many of these documents were very short lived and it is remarkable how many examples have been brought together to illustrate this book. Many have the word ‘sample’ stamped across them, so I suspect they came from official archives and might be the only examples of these documents known to exist today.
It is fair to say that identity cards and permits are a niche collecting area, however even if you are not a collector of these documents I do not hesitate to recommend this volume. For those with an interest in the home front this books provides a unique insight into a crucial but often overlooked aspect of the government’s increasing encroachment into people’s lives during the war and for the living historian this book is invaluable in ensuring you have the correct paperwork for your impression. 
Copies of the book are still available directly from the author and it is well worth picking up one for your reference library.
Ruth Dunstan worked for an architect’s firm during the war:
This is a rather more substantial pattern than most, running to ten pages, and so cost 6d when new. The inside of the front cover has a number of the items that the keen knitter can make illustrated:
These are all fairly standard garments like cardigans, scarves and gloves.The remainder of the pamphlet has the knitting patterns themselves:
Knitting comforts was undertaken by women (and men)up[ and down the country and with many girls learning to knit when they were still young children it was a skill that millions shared. Rita Sarin was a child and she joined in knitting comforts:
It is hard to date this item as there is no indication as to whether it is First or Second World War, however the design of the YMCA logo is very simple:
This suggests to me that this postcard is later rather than earlier as many of the First World War designs are far more elaborate than this. The patron of the Military Camp Department is listed as the Duke of Connaught:
Again this is not very helpful at dating the card as the Duke remained heavily involved with the YMCA from the early years of the twentieth century until his death in 1942.
The message was then written on the rear and could be quickly posted off back to friends and family.