New £2 Coins Mark The End Of WW1 And The RAF's Formation

Two pound coin designs commemorating the end of the First World War and the formation of the RAF are being launched by the Royal Mint for 2018.

The coin marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War Armistice features a quote from Wilfred Owen's poem Strange Meeting - "the truth untold, the pity of war".

A £2 coin will also honour the Royal Air Force, which was formed on April 1st, 1918, with the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).

Among the others due to be released is a 50p coin marking a century since the passing of the Representation of the People Act which gave women over 30 the right to vote if they met certain criteria.

The act also extended suffrage to servicemen aged over 19 and all men over 21 and was granted royal assent on February 6th, 1918.

Two hundred years since the birth of Frankenstein is also marked with a £2 coin as Mary Shelley's classic novel was first published anonymously on January 1st, 1818.

Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said:

"This is an important year for The Royal Mint, as amongst our 2018 coin themes are the centenaries of three key events that have shaped the country as we know it today."

All images courtesy: Press Association.