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          M6d  GREECE overprint  25 printed - 26 to 50.  British Military Authority  1943  North Africa

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          B254  2s6d  Peppiatt  Fractional    Front

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                                           FRACTIONALS

                                          FIVE SHILLINGS and TWO SHILLINGS SIX PENCE May 1941

The emergency small-denomination (fractional) 5s (crown) and 2s6d (half crown) notes were prepared by the Bank of England in 1940, because of a feared shortage of silver coins after the power supply to the Royal Mint had been seriously damaged. The original plan was for just under three million pounds in notes: five million 5s, twelve million 2s and ten million 1s. In the event the order on the 4th October 1940 was for six million 5s and eight million 2s6d. For some reason, most of the work was contracted out to two private security printers, Waddingtons and Bradbury Wilkinson. The 2s6d was divided equally between the two, while six million of the 5s were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson and two million at St Luke’s. The 1s and 2s notes only reached the proof stage. See page

The notes have no prefix/serial, were printed on unwatermarked paper with the same design on both sides, incorporating a metal thread. They measure 114 x 73mm and were distributed to the clearing banks in May 1941. In the event the crisis passed, the notes were not authorised for issue to the public and were supposedly destroyed in the late 1940s. A wily employee (interviewed by Vincent in the early 1970s) worked out a method of recovering a few notes from the pulping vats and the 5s in particular may show signs of water damage. For further information see the article by A.M.M. van Laere in ‘Banknote News’ issue No 41, see also ‘Promises to Pay’ page 139.

                      B254 2s6d Black on Pale Blue
                      Quantity printed: 6 million, most destroyed
                      Prefixes: None

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