Cribbage Board issued by the Australian Comforts Fund, Salvation Army and YMCA

A standard wooden cribbage board with details and decorations printed in blue and wording printed in red. Decorated with the ACF star logo and the words "AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUND" in the centre, with the YMCA symbol and the Salvation Army shield at each end.

The Australian Comforts Fund (ACF) was first formed on 24 August 1916 from a number of State based organisations that had been individually formed at the beginning of the First World War to send comforts to the troops. Its motto was "Keep the Fit Man Fit", in order to not duplicate the work of the Red Cross. The ACF raised money through various activities to buy and make items and food that could be sent to the troops. They also ran small canteens near the front lines that served food supplies and provided other items such as primus stoves, clothes, sporting equipment, games, newspapers and magazines. The ACF also ran a residential and recreational club for troops on leave in London called the AIF and War Chest Club. With the close of the war, the ACF officially ceased to exist on 16 April 1920, only to be revived in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War. In addition to the Adoption Appeal, where civilians were asked to buy a stamp a day to cover the daily cost of comforts for one soldier, the ACF provided embarkation kits to troops containing items such as soap, clothes, tobacco, razors and barley sugar. The despatch of Christmas hampers to troops was also popular, and by the close of operations more than 1.5 million hampers had been despatched. Before the ACF officially closed on June 27, 1946, the Australian War Memorial requested samples of the range of material that had been made available to troops through care packages, embarkation kits, clubs and canteens during the war. This Australian-made wooden cribbage board was amongst the samples provided by the ACF.