Allied Military Authority currency, 2 francs, for use in France, owned by a US soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) | Width: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm)
Creator(s)
- Harold B. Conlan (Subject)
Biographical History
Harold Burdette Conlan was born on April 25, 1905, to Howard and Lillian Lightcap Conlan in Salamanca, New York. He had a younger brother Robert. Harold grew up in Mansfield, Ohio. He was a truck driver. In early December 1941, the United States entered World War II (1939-1945.) Harold entered the Army on April 22, 1942. He was assigned to 701st Company D and deployed to Europe in 1944. In April 1945, his unit was in Germany. Harold and his unit assisted in the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, which was discovered by the 6th Army on April 11. The war ended on May 7, 1945, with Germany's surrender. Harold returned stateside and was released from the Army on September 21. He was married to Ruth Silcott (1914-2005). The couple had two daughters. Conlan brought home several items that he had found in the liberated Buchenwald concentration camp. When he told his family about that experience, he instructed them to care for and reverence the items and to never forget the tragic circumstance in which they were found. Harold, 73, passed away on January 4, 1978.
Archival History
The scrip was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Ruth Conlan, the wife of Harold Burdette Conlan.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ruth Conlan
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Allied Military Authority currency, 2 francs, for use in France owned by and likely issued to Harold Burdette Conlan, a soldier in 701st D Company, US Army. This type of scrip was printed by the British and Americans for the June 1944 D-Day invasion and after. Military currency or occupation money was produced for use by military personnel in occupied territories. Conlan's unit was in Germany in early April 1945 and assisted in the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp which was discovered by troops from the 6th Army on April 11, 1945. Starving prisoners had already seized control of the camp after the Germans began evacuations. Other US Army units soon arrived to help care for the over 20,000 ill and malnourished prisoners and restore order and sanitary conditions. The war ended with Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Square paper currency with a blue-green underprint with a dome flanked by torches with superimposed black wavy lines, and a decorative black border. The denomination 2 is in the 4 inner corners in green ink. The serial number and French text are in the center. The denomination DEUX 2 FRANCS is in the bottom center. The reverse has a red and blue underprint with wavy and distorted lines and a geometric patterned blue border. In the center is a floating French flag with 3 vertical stripes: blue, white, red. Across the bottom of the flagpole is a decorative blue panel with scrollwork flourishes and the French national motto: Liberte Egalite Fraternite. The note is stained, worn, wrinkled, and creased.
Subjects
- Souvenirs (Keepsakes)--Soldiers--United States.
- Soldiers--United States.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany.
Genre
- Object
- Exchange Media