Stories
A Very Special Dollar Bill

By Thom McClenaghan, formerly of the 11th Talbot Rover Crew, London, Ontario, Canada.

I was present at the Jamboree as a member of the volunteer canteen staff. We were Rover Scouts and too old to be participants. I am reminded of a peculiar story of an incident that occurred during the Jamboree.

I was in a lineup at the post office to purchase a block of the commemorative postage stamps that had been issued for the occasion. The Scout in front of me was from Holland and was on the same mission. He pulled from his wallet an oversized Canadian one dollar bill that was engraved with pictures of the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen on one side. He asked the clerk if it was still legal tender. The clerk replied that it was and the exchange was made.

The Dutch Scout mentioned that the currency had been given to his Grandfather during the First World War and that the family had put it safely away for just such an occasion as this. I asked the clerk if he had any particular interest in it and would he be prepared to exchange it for a current one dollar bill. He agreed and the exchange was made. I still have that bill in my possession today and it remains a touching keepsake of distant happy times.