Family history

The Memorial's collections contain a wealth of material relating to the military service of individuals. If you are trying to track down information about relatives who served in any of the conflicts in which Australia has been involved since the 1860s, the links below will take you to useful resources on this site.

Family history sources

These information sheets are a step-by-step guide to the main sources for researching the service and wartime experiences of family members. It is a useful starting point for new family historians.

Personal service records

Personal service records contain information about individual soldiers' war service. They are not held by the Memorial. This information sheet outlines where copies can be obtained from.

Biographical databases

The Memorial has produced databases of names and associated information based on records in its collections. You can find the details of those who died in conflicts in our Roll of Honour and Commemorative Roll databases. Using nominal rolls created by the Memorial and the Department of Veterans' Affairs, you can locate the names of those serving with Australian forces in various conflicts.

Collection databases

You can search the Collection search database for items in that relate to individuals and the units they served in. For example, the photographs collection includes individual and group portraits of military and support personnel, allied and enemy soldiers and local civilians, and scenes of the Australian homefront. The private records collection includes private papers, letters, and diaries of non-government organisations and individuals. Our film, sound, art, heraldry, and technology collections are also useful sources. Official records contain documents from the Australian army, navy, and air force, and the Books database lists published material, including maps and journals. You can also browse digitised images of selected Australian Army war diaries.

Don't forget you can also check out our Shop catalogue and What's on page for products and events that may relate to your family history interests.