½ Piastre Alexandria Internment Camp

Emergency scrip issued by British military authorities for use within the alien internment facilities at Alexandria during and after the First World War. These camps held civilian enemy nationals — primarily Austro-Hungarian and German subjects stranded in Egypt when hostilities began — and the scrip was introduced to allow internal canteen transactions while preventing any access to Egyptian currency that might facilitate escape or external contact.

The prolonged date range reflects the slow demobilization process; many internees were not repatriated until well into 1919 or 1920. Camp scrip of this type was typically destroyed upon closure, making survivors genuinely uncommon.