First World War 1914-1918

Peter Corlett, Man in the mud diorama. ART41003

For Australians, the horrific face of modern battle was first seen during the First World War. This war was Australia's most costly; our soldiers' deeds on Gallipoli, in Palestine and on the Western Front still loom large in our national memory.

Gallipoli

The Gallipoli gallery uses original letters, photographs, diaries and works of art to follow the campaign from the departure of the first convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops in November 1914 through to the evacuation of Gallipoli in December 1915.

Western Front

The much-loved Man in the mud diorama shows the despair that was the Western Front in the First World War, where some 46,000 Australians were among the three million people who died in the fighting in the trench warfare.

Sinai–Palestine

The Sinai–Palestine Gallery shows battles and operations involving the Australian Light Horse regiments in conditions in which men and animals relied on each other for survival.

Read more:

• About the First World War