This wiki has been automatically Five pence halfpenny: Something not visible; not there. A derisive term among the men at the front referring to the Government messing allowance. To supplement the men's rations, drawn in kind by Quartermasters, an expenditure of five pence halfpenny a day was allowed, to be laid out at the Quartermaster's discretion. As the money was never actually seen by the soldier, the phrase "five pence halfpenny" came to be used as a sort of by-word.[1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.94.
The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.
This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.