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5 Fils RAF Habbaniya
| Issuer | Officers Club, RAF Habbaniya |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936-1959 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Plain buff cardboard stock with black letterpress print. Issuer name in two lines at top, large numeral "5" at centre, denomination "FILS" below. No vignette or decorative elements. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | OFFICERS CLUB HABBANIYA 5 FILS |
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| Comments |
RAF Habbaniya was a British air base on the Euphrates, roughly 55 miles west of Baghdad, and the Officers Club issued these cardboard chits to manage internal transactions within the base economy — a closed system entirely separate from the Iraqi dinar. Cardboard issues of this kind were common at isolated British military stations where coin shortages and the impracticality of small change made scrip the sensible solution.
The base itself saw serious combat in May 1941 when Iraqi forces loyal to Rashid Ali al-Gaylani besieged it during a pro-Axis coup attempt. Whether these chits circulated before, during, or continuously across that interruption is unresolved — the 1936–1959 range covers the entire operative life of the station.