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 Gold Proof Coin struck in solid 22 Carat Gold Certified Slabbed and Graded by NGC as PF69 Ultra Cameo.
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, Neighbours 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.