Issue 2.
For Russia, the beginning of World War I, despite the setbacks of two Russian armies in East Prussia, was marked by the defeat of four Austro-Hungarian armies, the successful pushing back of the Germans from the banks of the Vistula, and the Lodz operation. The result was the capture of several hundred thousand servicemen from hostile states.
In accordance with an order from the Main Directorate of the General Staff, prisoners of war from the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Turkish armies were sent to Siberia, Turkestan, and the Far East. No special concentration camps were built for them, since there was neither time nor funds. In Transbaikalia, the first POWs began arriving in October 1914. They were distributed among the camps of Chita, Peschanka, Antipikha, Sretensk, Nerchinsk, Dauriya, Berezovka, Troitskosavsk, Barguzin, and Verkhneudinsk (a “camp” should be understood as the place where prisoners were housed in a particular settlement). According to archival data, as of October 18, 1914, the Sretensk camp held up to 1,000 prisoners from various armies, and by the winter of 1915/1916 their number had increased to 11,000 people, while the entire population of the town was about 7,000.
Everywhere, POWs were used as cheap labor; they became one of the sources for replenishing local production that had been drained by continuous military mobilizations. The money allocated by the state for camp needs was never enough, anywhere. Securing the necessary sums was undertaken by the camp community, which created camp banks, cooperatives, and unions; by the camp administration—for the guard personnel, service staff, and to reward the prisoners’ “activists”; and, finally, by interested local authorities, which sometimes even took on the printing of camp money.
From 1914 to 1920, the paper ruble had a stable exchange rate only in 1914, and beginning in 1915 it gradually fell approximately as follows: in 1915 by 30%, in 1916 by 50%, in 1917 by 70%, and then further—this led to inflation during that period.
The money allocated by the state for camp needs was insufficient. A shortage of goods formed in the market, prices rose sharply, and POW pay fell by about half. Following the example of other camps, the Sretensk camp issued its own money, used for food, clothing, and footwear, and handed out as wages, incentives, and bonuses. This money was accepted in unit and camp shops and buffet counters located on the camp grounds, and sometimes even by the town’s residents as small change. Camp vouchers in Transbaikalia issued in Sretensk circulated only within the camp.
The designs for the notes were made by the POWs themselves, and they were produced on a hectograph: the 1st issue on plain paper, the 2nd issue on parchment paper, and the 3rd issue on ferrotype paper (glossy on one side). Most likely, the first issues were small, since the first issue of 1916 was followed by a second, larger one, with additional denominations of 10, 15, 20, and 50 kopeks, and then a third issue in 1917, with an additional denomination of 2 kopeks. The low quality of the paper used for these vouchers did not allow them to remain in circulation for long. They quickly wore out and became unusable.
After the camp was closed, in early 1920, most of the vouchers were destroyed, and only a small portion remained in the hands of POWs and the local population. Although these vouchers look primitive, they are nevertheless unique and today represent a major rarity for collectors.