Commemorative Roll Introduction
The Commemorative Roll commemorates Australians who died during or as a result of wars or warlike operations in which Australians have been on active service but who were not eligible for inclusion on the Roll of Honour.
The Commemorative Roll is in the form of:
- a Commemorative Book located in the Memorial’s Commemorative Area;
- the Commemorative Roll database, accessible through the Memorial’s website; and
- the list of names on the Merchant Navy memorial.
Eligibility
The Commemorative Roll includes the names of those Australians who in other respects would qualify as eligible for the Roll of Honour, but who were:
- members of the armed forces of allied countries;
- members of the Merchant Navy;
- members of philanthropic organisations;
- war correspondents, photographers, or artists;
- munitions and other workers.
In addition, a person must have been born in Australia, or have had
Australia as his or her last place of domicile.
Specified Periods
The official commencement and cut-off dates for inclusion in the Roll of Honour and the Commemorative Roll are as follows.
| Conflict | Commencement of Hostilities | Cessation of Hostilities |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1860 | 1861 |
| Sudan | 1885 | 1885 |
| South Africa | 11 October 1899 | 31 May 1902 |
| China | 6 August 1900 | 25 April 1901 |
| First World War | 4 August 1914 | 31 March 1921 (Disbandment of AIF) |
| Second World War | 3 September 1939 | 30 June 1947 (Disbandment of AIF) |
| Korean War | 27 June 1950 | 27 July 1953 |
| Malayan Emergency | 16 June 1948 | 31 July 1960 |
| Indonesian Confrontation | 24 December 1962 | 11 August 1966 |
| Malay Peninsula | 19 February 1964 | 11 August 1966 |
| Vietnam War | 3 August 1962 | 29 April 1975 |
| Thailand | 25 June 1965 | 31 August 1968 |
| Somalia | 20 October 1992 | 30 November 1994 |
| East Timor | 16 September 1999 | 18 August 2003 |
| Afghanistan | 11 October 2001 | Continuing |
| Iraq | 16 July 2003 | Continuing |
Content
Records in the Commemorative Roll contain the personal particulars, unit and the date of death of each person. Some records may contain cemetery or memorial details and next of kin.
The Commemorative Roll was primarily developed through appeals to the public for nominations, beginning in 1981. Other names were obtained from other sources, such as Merchant Navy records and service records of Allied Forces. These names were originally added to index cards which form part of the Memorial’s Official Records collection and are known as AWM272, Card Index supporting the Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll, 1981–90. Subsequent details of individuals are recorded in the Memorial’s correspondence files.
A small percentage of the Commemorative Roll records have digital images of Roll of Honour circulars attached. For the First World War the circulars were forms sent to next of kin seeking details regarding the deceased. For the Second World War these were forms completed by the Directorate of the War Graves Services. These circulars were completed in anticipation that the deceased would be eligible for the Roll of Honour. Where the deceased was not eligible for the Roll of Honour, but was eligible for the Commemorative Roll, the corresponding circular has been attached. Unfortunately circulars were not completed for each of the deceased.
Search Tips
Using a combination of surname and conflict produces the most reliable results. If this approach produces too long a list of names, try searching using the individual’s first name(s) and surname, e.g., Alfred Jones.
Advanced search
The Advanced search allows you to search the Commemorative Roll using service and date of death
Service search:
Narrow your search by selecting the appropriate service from the drop down menu.
Date of Death search:
Searching on date of death is useful if you know that an individual died in a certain action on a specific day but do not know his/her name. However, if someone died at night you may need to search both dates to locate their details. For example, if an aircraft crashed during a bombing raid on the night of the 28/29 November 1942 the crew who were killed may have their date of death recorded as 28 November 1942 or 29 November 1942.
Searching using date of death is also useful for narrowing down searches on common names that have retrieved many records.
Further information
Enquiries relating to information contained in Commemorative Roll, including corrections, should be directed to HonourRolls@awm.gov.au.
For military service records of Australian's serving with Allied forces, please refer to Records of service in forces of other countries.
