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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 on this day.
Included are trench slang, service terms, expressions in everyday use, nicknames, the titles and origins of British and Commonwealth Regiments, and warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used. Sources include: Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases, The War Book-of-Facts and Odhams' A.B.C. of the Great War. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.