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Deutsch-Neuguinea (German New Guinea)
German New Guinea was a German protectorate from 1884 to 1914, consisting of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups. The main part of German New Guinea was formed by Kaiser-Wilhelmsland (see Kaiser Wilhelm), the northeastern part of New Guinea, at present part of Papua New Guinea. The islands in the Bismarck Archipelago situated east of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland and nowadays also belonging to Papua New Guinea, were also part of the protectorate.
In addition most other German lands in the Pacific were part of German New Guinea: the German Solomon Islands (Buka, Bougainville and several smaller islands), the Carolines, Palau, the Marianas (except for Guam), the Marshall Islands and Nauru.
History of the colony
Although the western half of New Guinea had been administered by the Netherlands for some time, the eastern half had not yet been annexed by any European power until the 1880s. In 1883, the British colony of Queensland (Australia) annexed the southeastern part of New Guinea against the wishes of the British government. This initiated German interest in the remaining quarter of the island. On 3 November 1884, under the flag of the newly founded Neuguinea-Kompagnie (New Guinea Company), the German flag was flown over Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, the Bismarck Archipelago (formerly New Britain) and the German Solomon Islands.
On 1 April 1899, the German government formally took control of these lands, and the area became a protectorate. A treaty with Spain, signed later that year on July 30, ensured German control over several island groups in the Pacific, and these were added to the protectorate of German New Guinea. The Marshall Islands were added in 1906.
Following the outbreak of World War I, Australian troops captured Kaiser-Wilhelmsland and the nearby islands in 1914, while Japan occupied most of the remaining German possessions in the Pacific. The only significant battle occurred on 11 September 1914 when the Australian Military and Naval Expeditionary Force attacked the low-power wireless station at Bitapaka (near Rabaul) on the island of New Britain (Neu Pommern). On 21 September all German forces in the colony surrendered.
After the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, Germany lost all its colonial possessions, including German New Guinea. It became the Territory of New Guinea, a League of Nations Mandate Territory under Australian administration until 1949 when it was merged with the Australian territory of Papua to eventually become the northern part of modern Papua New Guinea.
German money in the Deutsch-Neuguinea
On the islands the ususal German banknotes (Reichsbanknoten and Reichskassenscheine) were in use on the island.
After the occupation of the islands through the Australian troops and the capitulation of the German army the Australians issued provisional notes. These "treasury notes" are denominated in Mark. Serial numbers and issue date are hand written.
hese bills are extreme rare. Only in 1979 100 Marks bill was located in Australia. The images shown below have been produced from a facimile re-print of the only existing complete set.
It is alleged that in the first days after the German capitulation the German volunteer brigade was paid with an improvised 20 Mark bill printed with boot polish. So far none of these bills have been found.
Five Marks 1914
This treasury note was issued by the treasury in Rabaul.
(P# GNG 1 / Ro 965)
Ten Marks 1914
This treasury note was issued by the treasury in Rabaul.
(P# GNG 2 / Ro 966)
Twenty Marks 1914
This treasury note was issued by the treasury in Rabaul.
(P# GNG 3 / Ro 967)
Fifty Marks 1914
This treasury note was issued by the treasury in Rabaul.
(P# GNG 4 / Ro 968)
One Hundred Marks 1914
This treasury note was issued by the treasury in Rabaul.
(P# GNG 5 / Ro 969)
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