Names

Guide to the Australian Comforts Fund Souvenir Collection. Collection number: Souvenirs 8

IDs

AWM00024

http://www.awm.gov.au/findingaids/special/Souvenirs/comfortsfund.xml

Descriptions

Contains stationery, leaflets, booklets and other items relating to the work of the Australian Comforts Fund and its State Divisions during both the First and Second World Wars.

SERIES 1: General material, 1916-1946. Description: The series contains Australian Comforts Fund souvenirs, stationery and forms.; SERIES 2: First World War,1916-1920. Description: The series contains leaflets, labels, tags, stationery and forms relating to the Australian Comforts Fund and its State Divisions during the First World War.; SERIES 3: Second World War, 1939-1946. Description: The series contains items that were sent to forces by the ACF and leaflets, stationery and forms relating to the Australian Comforts Fund during the Second World War.

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. The ACF officially closed on June 27, 1946.

Contact Senior Curator, Published & Digitised Collections, Australian War Memorial.

Open - Contact Senior Curator, Published & Digitised Collections, Australian War Memorial.

Selected additional and related material available at http://www.awm.gov.au/search/collections/ using the search terms described under 'subject _local'. Copies of many items from the Memorial's collections may also be purchased @ http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/sales/.

Subjects

Appeals and Fundraising; Australian Comforts Fund; Books; Citizens' War Chest Fund; Greeting cards; Lady Mayoress's Patriotic League; Leaflets; League of Loyal Women in South Australia; Souvenirs; World War One; World war Two

Booklets; Leaflets; Stationery

World wars

Coverage Temporal

1916

1946

Related Collections

Dates

2012-05-30 23:41

2011-03-07 11:34