In 2016 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the First World War and the Army's contribution to victory, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Army Pals Battalions £2 Two Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver.
In 1914, as Europe finally went to war, the call went out to enlist. The British Army , unlike the French and German armies , was made up exclusively of volunteers. 30,000 volunteers signed up each day, in response to Lord Kitchener’s famous recruitment drive. Those who enlisted together were permitted to serve together in ‘Pals Battalions’ with workmates, friends and neighbors, standing side by side to defend their communities.
The debut of the Kitchener Army of volunteers turned into a massacre. As the British divisions advanced they were cut down by machine gun fire. Few communities remained untouched by the immense sacrifice paid as a result of this strategic failure. The reverse designed by Tim Sharp depicts Army Soldiers Pals Battalions - Friends, Neighbors and workmates serving side by side shoulder to shoulder while the obverse has the stunning Fifth Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark. These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.
Limited Mintage Presentation 1,703 Worldwide
Finished to Royal Mint's Proof Quality in Solid .925 Sterling Silver
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the First World War - The Army
