2016-06-24 Fri

The Royal Mint is soon going to release the third set of six £5 coins, in gold and silver versions, this time honouring the soldiers of World War I.

One of the coins features a portrait of Jack Cornwell, popularly known as Boy Jack who was the last surviving soldier aboard HMS Chester. The coin also bears the inscription ‘MOTHER, DON’T WATCH FOR POSTIE’ which is a line from “The Ballad of Jack Cornwell” by Charles Causley.

The Battle of Jutland coin features the depiction of England’s major naval attack during World War I. The inscription reads ‘OUR CHILDREN SHALL MEASURE THEIR WORTH’ from the poem “The Verdicts” by Rudyard Kipling.

The Somme coin depicts the first military tank of England with infantrymen in the background. The inscription reads ‘DEAD MEN CAN ADVANCE NO FURTHER’, a quote by Maj. Gen. Sir Beauvoir de Lisle.

The Army theme coin depicts a group of soldiers in their trench. The inscription reads ‘MEN WHO MARCH AWAY’ which is a line from a Thomas Hardy poem.

The Poetry and Language theme coins feature marching soldiers, lines from the Rupert Brooke poem "The Soldier” and the inscription ‘THE TRUTH UNTOLD, THE PITY OF WAR’ – a quote from Wilfred Owen’s poem "Strange Meeting”.

The Dreadnought coin honours soldiers who fought many wars during the 20th century. The inscription reads ‘WATCH DOGS OF THE NATION’ from Augustus H. Cook’s poem “For England’s Sons in Danger”. The common Queen Elizabeth II portrait is featured on the obverse.

1,916 sets of silver coins are minted for £450 each. 25 sets of gold coins are minted of £10,500 each.