Campbell - Prisoner of War and concentration Camp Money of the 20th Century. First Edition

This book is a must have for anyone who is interested in Prisoner of War and Concentration Camp Money. It covers POW camp money from the Boer War, World War 1, World War 2, the Vietnam War, and periods in between wars. It covers most countries of the world, and is the most comprehensive book available.

The use of camp money for prisoners of war and enemy alien or civilian internees did not become widespread until the twentieth century. It was reasoned that by issuing prisoners special money that could be used within the camp, escape attempts would be discouraged since any escaped prisoner would be left without funds useable on the outside. In addition, legislation in many countries during times of war has specifically prohibited prisoners from possessing legal tender. When coin of the realm is either unavailable or its use prohibited by the authorities, some form of monetary of barter system inevitably is instituted to fill the void (with many recent camp barter systems based around cigarettes). While the Geneva Convention outlined rules for the payment of military prisoners of war, there were no rules for the payment of concentration camp inmates. Indeed, this was not an internationally recognised form of incarceration. The concentration camp system devised in Nazi Germany in the 1930s was divided into two broad categories: work camps and extermination camps. Camp money was given to the inmates at the labour camps as a reward for good behaviour, industriousness or achievement. Any local currency that the inmates may have had in their possession at the time of their internment either stolen or converted into the much less useful camp money. Although some issues do exist, there was little need for money at the extermination camps. Few lived long enough to use it. Any local currency in the possession of these inmates was simply confiscated.

Weight: 0.550 kg. (packaging included)