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Churchill to appear on new British pound banknote

Xinhua, April 27, 2013

• Former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill will appear on a new Bank of England (BoE) banknote, its governor Mervyn King announced on Friday.

  "Sir Winston Churchill was a truly great British leader, orator and writer. His energy, courage, eloquence, wit and public service are an inspiration to us all," King said in Chartwell of Kent, the family home of the wartime prime minister.

  Churchill served as the British prime minister in May, 1940 until 1945. He returned to office in 1951, and retired at 80 in 1955.

  According to the current plan, 5-pound notes that would contain Churchill's portrait would be issued in 2016.

  "Further details on the full design will be revealed when the new note is launched, together with a full promotion and awareness campaign," said the BoE.

  The central bank issues nearly a billion banknotes each year, and withdraws almost as many from circulation.

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