Banque de France

Paper money has been used in France since the early 18th Century. This image, of a 5 franc note, is of a bill printed between 1912 and 1917, according to its eBay seller.

A Canadian soldier on the front line of the Battle of the Somme would not, of course, have been able to use his Canadian dollars to any avail in France.

It’s hard to imagine quite how one would feel, with all of one’s earthly wealth tucked into a breast pocket, and yet forgotten in a desperate scramble to survive.

Money must cease to have any meaning, when the issue at hand is life or death.