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5 Cents Lethbridge; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Internment Camp 133 (Prisoner of War Camp, Lethbridge, Alberta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1945 |
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| Currency | Dollar (1858-date) |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed on yellow paper in black ink. The central denomination '5¢' is rendered in bold Gothic script flanked by four floral rosette ornaments. The camp designation 'INTERNMENT CAMP 133' appears at top, with 'P.W.C. Lethbridge, Alta.' at base; a serial number and printer's imprint run vertically along the right margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | INTERNMENT CAMP 133 5c P.W.C. Lethbridge, Alta. BULMAN BROS. WPG. |
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| Comments |
Camp 133 at Lethbridge held the largest prisoner of war population in Canada during the war — at its peak, over 12,000 German POWs, including Afrika Korps veterans captured in North Africa. The Canadian government was obligated under the Geneva Convention to pay working prisoners, which is why a dedicated scrip currency was introduced: real money couldn't circulate inside the wire, but the men had to be compensated and given something to spend in the canteen.
Bulman Brothers, a commercial printer in Winnipeg with no particular security printing background, produced the scrip. The notes were not intended to outlast repatriation, and most didn't.