Home | Australian War Memorial
WEBThe Australian War Memorial is open to the public. Visitors require timed tickets to enter the Memorial, and also to attend the daily Last Post Ceremony at 4:30 pm in the Commemorative Area. Access to the Memorial entrance and visitor carpark is via Fairbairn Avenue. Book your free ticket School and school aged group bookings.
First World War 1914–18 - Australian War Memorial
WEBSummary. Australia’s involvement in the First World War began when Britain and Germany went to war on 4 August 1914, and both Prime Minister Joseph Cook and Opposition Leader Andrew Fisher, who were in the midst of an election campaign, pledged full support for Britain. The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other places ...
The Anzac Day Tradition - Australian War Memorial
WEBDuring the 1920s Anzac Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the more than 60,000 Australians who had died during the war. In 1927, for the first time, every state observed some form of public holiday on Anzac Day. By the mid-1930s all the rituals we now associate with the day – dawn vigils, marches, memorial services ...
Colonial period, 1788–1901 - Australian War Memorial
WEBColonial period, 1788–1901. British settlement of Australia began as a penal colony governed by a captain of the Royal Navy. Until the 1850s, when local forces began to be recruited, British regular troops garrisoned the colonies with little local assistance. From 1788 marines guarded English settlements at Sydney Cove and Norfolk Island ...
Vietnam War 1962–75 - Australian War Memorial
WEBVietnam War 1962–75. Accession Number: EKN/67/0130/VN. Iroquois helicopters land to take members of 7RAR back to Nui Dat after completion of Operation Ulmarra, August 1967. The arrival of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in …
Second World War, 1939–45 - Australian War Memorial
WEBOn 7 May 1945 the German High Command authorised the signing of an unconditional surrender on all fronts: the war in Europe was over. The surrender was to take effect at midnight on 8–9 May 1945. On 14 August 1945 Japan accepted of the Allied demand for unconditional surrender. For Australia it meant that the Second World War was finally over.
Kokoda Trail Campaign - Australian War Memorial
WEB2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the Kokoda Trail Campaign. By July 1942, the Japanese had swept all before them in a seemingly unstoppable advance through south-east Asia and into the Pacific. This series of victories brought Japanese forces into Australian territory in New Guinea and Papua, moving closer to the Australian mainland.
Gallipoli - Australian War Memorial
WEBThe whole Gallipoli operation, however, cost 26,111 Australian casualties, including 8,141 deaths. Despite this, it has been said that Gallipoli had no influence on the course of the war. Accession Number: A01005. 1st Battalion troops waiting near Jacob's trench for relief by 7th Battalion. Lone Pine, Gallipoli, 8 August 1915.
Researching a person - Australian War Memorial
WEBResearching a person. The Memorial's collections and website contain a wealth of material which can help you research the service and wartime experiences of relatives who served in Australia's military forces during conflict. Accession Number: P05555.015. Composite group portrait of Mary and Henry Hutchins, of Woorinen North, Vic, and seven ...
Conscription during the First World War, 1914–1918
WEBConscription during the First World War, 1914–1918. At the outbreak of the First World War, the number of people volunteering to enlist for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was so high that recruitment officers were forced to turn people away. As the war went on, casualty rates increased and the number of volunteers declined.