Princess Margaret doubted that she would ever understand the system. Nervous housewives stocked up on groceries to save themselves the anguish of trying to figure out how much change they should be getting. D (for Decimal) Day is at hand. Next week the British will join the rest of the world by switching to a decimal currency system. Even though they have had five years to prepare for the event, many of them are saying that the D stands for Derangement.
Even the British have long recognized that their currency system, which dates from the 8th century,* was ridiculously eccentric. Still, there seemed to be an almost atavistic aversion to what Randolph Churchill called "those damn dots."
In 1966, in a rare moment of enthusiasm for Europe and Britain's possible role in the Common Market, the Labor government decided to go decimal. Both the pound and the penny would be preserved. "It would be a matter of regret," said then Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan, "if such expressions as 'Pennywise, pound-foolish' and 'Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' were to lose their meaning." But instead of 240 pennies, the pound would consist of 100 new pennies.
Foolish Elders. To prepare Britons for the changeover, involving three new silver coins and three bronze ones (see chart), the Decimal Currency Board launched a $3,000,000 educational campaign. Posters went on display in 950 cities and towns. Fifteen million copies of a decimal currency guide were sent to households throughout the country, including booklets in Welsh and Braille. Television spots urged: "Think decimal!" The BBC put a 13-year-old schoolboy named Sebastian on its breakfast program to explain to his foolish elders how simple decimalization is. Listeners loathed him.
Department stores, too, tried to soothe customers' fears. "Relax—D Day will be easy in Selfridges," proclaimed huge posters in every window. Harrods hired pretty girls in boaters and D Day sashes to counsel customers. Tea towels, mugs, pens and pencils, plastic shopping bags, watch straps and playing cards came out imprinted with conversion tables. To help matters considerably, an anonymous genius began spreading it around that if any sum expressed in shillings and old pennies were simply.,divided by two with the dividing stroke omitted, the result would be the new penny equivalent. Thus, 6/ 4d. became 32p. "I know it is not absolutely accurate," sighed a housewife, "but I feel I'm mastering the system at last."
The most difficult part of the changeover will come when the banks close in the middle of this week. A fleet of airplanes, 145 armored trucks and ten trunk railway lines—Britain's biggest convoy since World War II—will bring 6,000,000 checks, statements and credit documents from 14,500 banks throughout the country to London. There they will be converted into the new currency and shipped back to their place of origin. When the banks reopen next Monday, some 25 million accounts will be decimalized and up to date. Government departments, the stock exchange and subway system, as well as most big stores, will go decimal immediately on D Day. Other businesses have 18 months to convert.