Australian War Memorial. This extensive site is a must for family history research. The wealth of online material includes biographical databases (detailed by conflict below); collection databases (art, photos, film, sound, heraldry, military technology, private and official records, books, journals, maps, sheet music, war diaries); digitised records plus research information. No personal service records are held.
Australian War Memorial. The Roll of Honour replicates the names of Australia's war dead on the bronze panels at the War Memorial, Canberra. The database links to the panel location, any photographs and to digital images of the Roll of Honour Circulars (WWI, WWII, Korea). The circulars were forms sent to next of kin seeking personal details of the deceased.
Commonwealth War
Graves Commission. Click on the
Search our Records link to access the Debt of Honour Register
which lists the details and place of burial of 1.7 million Commonwealth forces
members who died in two world wars. There are also details of 67,000 civilian
casualties of World War Two.
Australian War Memorial Commemorative
Roll records the names of those Australians who died during or as a result of
wars in which Australians served, but who were not serving in the Australian
Armed Forces and therefore not eligible for inclusion on the Roll of Honour. It
includes those Australians who died while members of Allied Forces, the Merchant
Navy, philanthropic organisations attached to the forces, or as war correspondents or
photographers.
Australian War Memorial Remembrance Book commemorates members of the Australian Defence Force who died on operations after 30 June 1947 designated as non-warlike service. Includes hazardous service, peacekeeping service and humanitarian peacetime service.
Australian War Memorial. Honours and Awards details of Honours and Awards made or recommended to Australians while on active service. It does not contain information on campaign or service medals.
Australian War Memorial. Profiles of Australian
Military Units. This site offers profiles of many of the navy, army and air
force units that served Australia in times of conflict. Each profile includes a
short history of the unit, details of its casualties, decorations, battle
honours and commanding officers.
Department
of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) Commemorative
Publications. These are available either to download or to
browse as webpages. Titles include: New
• North Beach
Gallipoli 1915 – A booklet designed to help visitors to the Anzac site at
North Beach Gallipoli to understand more fully the significance of the
area
• Sinking of the Centaur - On 14 May 1943,
the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Of the
332 persons on board, only 64 survived
• Operation
Jaywick – 60th Anniversary - Operation Jaywick was one of the most daring
and celebrated special operations undertaken in World War II. In September 1943,
eleven Australian and three British army and navy personnel raided Japanese
shipping in Singapore harbour, sinking seven ships, and against great odds made
it back to Australia
• Laden, Fevered, Starved - The
POW's of Sandakan, North Borneo, 1945
• Caring for
your Wartime Memorabilia - A guide to preserving and protecting your
family's war time items
• Memories &
Memorabilia - Recognising and preserving Australia's war
heritage
• Australian Flying Corps - This
book marks the 100th anniversary of the
AFC
• Greece and Crete: Australians in World War
II.
Royal Australian Navy - Navy
Publications. This site
has several online publications of interest to family history researchers. These
include: New
• 100 years of the Royal
Australian Navy. This online book covers the extensive history of the Royal
Australian Navy, and examines its involvement in conflicts around the globe from
WW1 and WW2, to Korea, Malaya, Indonesia, Vietnam and more recently the Middle
East.
• The Navy List (1905-1979). This publication contains
details of the officers of the Australian Navy. Additional editions of Navy
Lists will be added as the 30 year disclosure period expires.
• World
War II merchant ship movement records for Australia. Scans of the original documents are available as PDF files. They
are arranged alphabetically by ship name.
War
Memorials in Australia by Michael
Southwell-Keely. This site lists the locations, descriptions and images of war
memorials in Australia and includes monuments, honour rolls, buildings and a
variety of utilitarian facilities. Searches are available by family name,
keyword or memorial location. Photographs are included if available.
South Australians at War. This site is a portal to some of the remarkable stories of the sacrifices and contributions South Australians have made to international conflicts.
Australian Light Horse Association. Information on existing military units, re-enactment troops, museums plus information on regiments and battles. Includes personal histories and military stories.The Australian Light Horse Studies
Centre aims to present an accurate history of
early Australian military developments from 1899 to 1920.
Regiments.org by T F Mills. A website devoted to the land forces of Britain, the Empire and the Commonwealth. This massive gateway and information site is a must to visit. This site is undergoing re-development and may be unavailable.
Digger History. An unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Services by Ted Harris. This site contains an amazing amount of information. Topics covered include uniforms, medals, badges, food, nurses, equipment, poetry, music and much more. You will archived versions of this site on Pandora at http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/32360.
Department of Veterans' Affairs. This site has an online copy of the book Caring for your Wartime Memorabilia: A Guide to Preserving your Family's Heritage.This book covers diaries, letters, medals, photographs, artworks, film and an assortment of other ephemera. It also explains how to freeze items to get rid of insects.
Australian and New Zealand American Civil War Veterans. This site includes detailed biographies on those Australians and New Zealanders who fought in the American Civil War 1861-1865.
Australian Army History
Unit is responsible for developing policy and programs for the
collection, conservation, interpretation and promotion of Army history. This
site has details of the Australian Military History Publications Program
including a list of available books. New
Armed Services Assistance Centre with Information on Australian War Medals.
British Regiments in AustraliaWhite
Ensign Southern Cross 1788-1913 is dedicated to
the naval officers, men and their families who settled in Australia. This
extensive site has detailed information on the Royal Marines, colonial navies,
colonial defence, naval military actions and ships plus details of known
descendants. A deserters database, compiled from government and police gazettes,
is available online and lists deserters name, ship, source and details (physical
description, age, height, deserted from etc).
Land Forces
of the British Empire by Stephen Luscombe. Here you will find resources for
tracing military regiments and also histories of the various regiments.
There is also a massive amount of information on the British
Empire. New
This site by Graham Jaunay lists the Military Regiments of the British Army that served in the Australian colonies.
Society of Australian Genealogists Index to Soldiers and Marines
1787-1830. A search returns name, rank, regiment, pay list/muster roll,
reel/source and notes.
Chelsea Pensioners
- Out Pensions. This index by Grahame Thom covers 1849-1853 for New South
Wales. Men pensioned out of the British Army were known as Chelsea Pensioners
because their pensions were administered through the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a
retirement and nursing home for former members of the British Army. Those who
lived at the hospital were known as in-pensioners and those who lived elsewhere
were known as out-pensioners. Most were out-pensioners and were registered in a
district where the local pay office was located. Each district kept records of
Chelsea pensioners from when they first registered in the district or
transferred in until they transferred out or died. These records detail a
soldier’s career and can also provide information about next of kin. The
original records are held by the Public Record Office London (War Office 22).
They are available on film through the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP).
For details of the AJCP and how to access these records see www.nla.gov.au/collect/ajcp.html
The National Archives (Kew), In-depth research guide, British Army:
Soldiers' Pensions 1702-1913. This guide covers introduction,
entitlements to pension, out-pensions, in-pensioners, records of soldier's
effects, the National Army Museum and The National Archives' Library
Bibliography.
The commercial
site findmypast.co.uk has available the Chelsea Pensioners Record Series War Office
97
(1,041,092 records). These records relate to men pensioned out of the
British Army 1760-1913. Pensions were administered through the Royal Hospital Chelsea hence the term Chelsea Pensioners.
Most pensioned soldiers were out-pensioners and did not reside at
the hospital. Those who did were known as in-pensioners. There is
a free name search and various payments options to access the original records and
images.
Colonial
Forces
Defending
Victoria by Ian MacFarlane. Victorian
colonial, military and naval forces up to the Boer War and AIF, Australian
Flying Corps and nurses up to the end of World War I.
WA Defence Force. This site looks at the Western Australian Defence Forces 1861-1901 and the Western Australian Volunteer Forces.
SudanAustralians
in the Boer War Oz-Boer Database Project by
Colin Roe with information on Australian soldiers and nurses who served in
Australian units during the Boer War (1899-1902).
National Boer War
Memorial Association (Australia).
This site has extensive information relating to the Boer War, including details
of the contingents and the soldiers. There is also a descendants database which
can be searched online. Descendants of veterans can register their details
online for inclusion in the database.
Graves and Memorials of Australians in the Boer War (1899-1902) by the Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra. This site contains an online database to burial and memorial locations for the Australians who died. Also includes maps, photographs of graves and monuments plus biographies for selected soldiers.
Queensland State Archives. Boer War Index (1899-1901) lists all Queensland Defence Force ranks who served in the South African War. The Boer War Index to Pay Books (1899-1902), compiled from Queensland Volunteer Defence Force pay books, lists name, rank, unit details and references.National Archives of Australia shop Research Guides include The Boer War: Australians and the War in South Africa, 1899–1902 by Craig Wilcox which can be read online.
Boxer UprisingAustralian War Memorial. First World War Unit Embarkation Rolls, containing details of about 330,000 AIF personnel, recorded as they embarked from Australia for overseas service during World War I. Search by name or browse by unit. Images of the rolls list unit, ship's name, port and departure date. Personnel details include rank, age, occupation, marital status, address, next of kin details, religion and pay rates.
The AIF Project Database maintained by the University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, draws on a wide range of sources to provide details on 330,000+ men and women who served overseas in the Australian Imperial Force, 1914-1918. This database is fully searchable and provides a wide range of information.Australian War Memorial. Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau files consist of 32,000+ individual case files (digitised) of Australian personnel reported as wounded or missing during the First World War.
Russian
Anzacs. During the First World War 1000+
Russian born servicemen fought in the Australian Imperial Force. They were the
largest national group in the AIF after British, New Zealand and Canadian born
servicemen. Their story is told in the book Russian Anzacs in Australian
History by Elena Govor. This site provides additional
information and lists all the Russian Anzacs' names with links to a fact sheet
about each serviceman. Theses fact sheets contain biographical and service
details, a list of materials and links to any digitised records.
Australian War Memorial The
Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 by Charles Bean. This
chronological record of all services and all theatres of conflict is available
online.
Australian War Memorial Australian Army War Diaries - First World War. This ongoing project is digitising the Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries. These diaries generally record the date of each entry, the unit's location, a summary of events and any remarks or references to appendices. Currently the war diaries of the Australian Light Horse, Cavalry and Infantry are available and more diaries will be added to the site as they become available.
First AIF Order of Battle 1914-1918 by Ross Mallett. Lists the units and formations of the First AIF plus information about where they were raised, when they departed Australia and where they served. An extensive site that is well worth a visit.
First World War.Com by Michael Duffy. This comprehensive site contains a vast amount of valuable cultural, historical and social documentation for the Great War.
Australian Flying Corps. This site offers a complete history of the Australian Flying Corps (1914-1919). Includes links to aircraft, articles, books, people, references and squadrons.
National Library of Australia Despatches
from Gallipoli. This site offers insights into the Gallipoli conflict from
the viewpoint of the official World War 1 correspondents. It includes war
images, accounts of battles, examples of censorship and discussions of the
Australian legend.
Mapping our
Anzacs allows you to browse 375,971 records
of service in the Australian Army during World War I according to the person’s
place of birth or enlistment. Use this site to find a local service person and
see their service record; add a note or photograph to the Anzac scrapbook or
build an online tribute to people important to you. You need to register (free)
to use the scrapbook or add a tribute.
Anzac Commemorative Site by the Commonwealth Department of Veteran Affairs with valuable information and photographs for researchers, teachers and those planning to visit Gallipoli.
The Anzac Book. This site contains an online copy of The Anzac Book which was written by the troops at Anzac in 1915 and edited by CEW Bean.
The 42nd Infantry Battalion Australian Imperial Force. This site presents a comprehensive account of this Australian Battalion in World War I and includes an online version of Vivian Brahms' book The Spirit of the Forty-Second 42nd Battalion AIF.
State
Records New South Wales, Nominal Roll of the First Railway Section,
Australian Imperial Expeditionary Forces (AIF). A
search return surname, other names, age, address, date of joining and
references.
The
World War I Document Archive. This archive of
primary documents, compiled by World War I Military History List volunteers, is
international in focus.
Somme A Land of History is designed to help with information about the Somme battlefields and memorials. It aims to help trace the Australian and New Zealander soldiers' footsteps.
The Long, Long Trail: The British Army in the Great War. This site aims to provide all you need to know about researching a soldier in the British Army during WW1.Australian War Memorial. AMF Prisoners of War and Missing in the Far East and South West Pacific Islands Database with details of approximately 23,000 prisoners of war and missing personnel as known at 30 June 1944. It includes Malaya, Java, Timor, Ambon, Rabaul, New Guinea and Papua plus No 1 Independent Company and South West Pacific Islands.
Australian War Memorial. Australian Army War Diaries Second World War. Army headquarters, formations and units were required to keep a unit war diary recording their daily activities when on active service. Digitised copies of these war diaries are being made available online.
Australian War Memorial digitised version of Australia's Second World War Official Histories. The 22 volumes, written by 14 authors, titled Australia in the War of 1939–1945 includes S Series 1 - Army, Series 2 - Navy, Series 3 - Air, Series 4 - Civil and Series 5 - Medical.
Department of Veterans' Affairs, Australia's War 1939-1945. A developing site with detailed information on various campaigns. New information and themes will be progressively added.The Battle of Britain History Site commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and includes includes a Roll of Honour, campaign diary, details of aircraft involved, background on the Battle of Britain plus information on commanders, units and stations and more.
Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945. This site, designed to preserve Commonwealth naval aviation heritage, includes a Roll of Honour and Personnel Register.
KoreaVietnam Veterans Association of Australia list of links to sites that relate to the war in Vietnam.
The Fighting Fourth. A history of the 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment during their second tour of Vietnam when, with members of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, they served as 4RAR/NZ.
Gulf War