Anzac Race Game folding playing board

Place Oceania: Australia
Accession Number REL/11487
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Heraldry
Physical description Cardboard, Paper
Maker Unknown
Place made Australia
Date made c 1919-1925
Conflict Period 1910-1919
First World War, 1914-1918
Description

Square playing board designed to fold in half. The reverse of the board is finished in dark green, while the playing surface is printed with a basic race game layout of 67 yellow playing spaces running in a circular route between Start and Home. There are 27 blank playing spaces and the remainder are printed with instructions which will affect the player's progress. These include 'Enlisted'; 'Rejected (go back to start)'; 'Absent without leave (Go back to 5)'; 'Arrived Gallipoli'; 'Promoted to Lieutenant'; 'Evacuated Gallipoli'; 'Wounded at Fleurbaix (return to 28)'; 'Pozieres captured'; 'Awarded MC (two throws)'; 'Bapaume captured'; 'Passchendale battle (Awarded DSO. Two throws)'; 'Promoted to Major'; 'Battle of Hamel (Awarded VC)'. The remainder of the board is decorated with ten full-colour illustrations of First World War incidents, mostly of a general patriotic 'Empire' nature. They depict troops training at camp; a 'British dirigible'; a 'British airplane'; a 'British destroyer'; 'Battle of Jutland'; 'Capture of a Zeppelin'; a troopship disembarking at an Australian port; 'returning from trenches'; and two images which are inspired from photographs: 'Emden on shore - Keeling Island' (see AWM image H18852) and 'Entry of Australians into Bapaume' (see AWM image E00426 - the 5th Brigade band).

History / Summary

History unknown. The style of printing and layout suggest that the game was manufactured by National Games Company, of Melbourne, whose designer was Christopher George King. The game is a unique immediate post-war example of an Australian game featuring many of the First World War battles which Australians remembered.