Handmade cribbage board : Private J A Kneale, 53 Battalion, AIF

Wooden cribbage board with twelve sections, each with ten scoring ten holes to hold pegs, arranged on the long sides. Each end is finished in a semi-circle. Engraved on upper the surface are some of the battalion's battle honours, 'FROMELLES, SOMME, DOIGNES, BULLECOURT, POLYGON WOOD, VILLERS-BRETONNEUX.' Also engraved are playing card suit symbols, spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts. An oxidised 'rising Sun' badge has been set into the centre of the board, around which are engraved the years '1916, 1917, 1918'. Each end of the board has a curved oxidised 'AUSTRALIA' shoulder title set into it. The edge of the upper long side carries an engraved brass name plate 'PTE J.A. KNEALE D.COY 53 BATTN'.

Associated with the service of Private John Alexander Kneale, born in Melbourne, who was working as a carter in Sydney when he enlisted in the AIF on 5 April 1916, at the age of 21.

After initial training Kneale was assigned the service number 2690 and posted as a reinforcement to 53 Battalion. He left Sydney aboard the transport 'Ceramic' on 7 October and arrived in England on 21 October.
After further training in England Kneale was about to join his battalion on the Western Front when he became ill in February 1917. He was finally taken on strength in May 1917.

During his time with the battalion Kneale would have seen heavy fighting at Polygon Wood in Belgium in 1917, and at Bullecourt and Villers-Bretonneux in France the following year. The battalion was withdrawn for rest on 2 October and saw no further active service. Kneale was discharged from the army on 28 August 1919.