"Commemoration of the Anzac tradition has widespread support in Australia despite different historical interpretations and debates about the nature and significance of the Anzac legend."

By 1943 the role of film in reporting on and promoting Australians during the Second World War had been firmly established.

Wartime

The Australian War Memorial has been listed as one of the top 10 free tourist attractions in the world.

Media release

Since the earliest days of film, the moving image has been used to document, promote, report on, and recreate events from our military history. Film has shaped our understanding of the Australian experience of war. ACTION! Film & War follows Australians armed with cameras who have shared their experiences as they record history and bear witness to conflict - either as a professional duty or for their personal record. This exhibition is also the story of movies themselves - the comfort they can provide to those serving far from home and the way they can take our war stories, re-frame them and share them with new audiences. Drawing chiefly on the collection of the Australian War Memorial, these are stories of Australia, war and the power of the moving image.

Lance Sergeant Ronald Chambers sent 85 letters and postcards to his parents and siblings between 1941 and 1945, while a prisoner of war.

Article

Vivian Bullwinkel thought she was going to die. The 26-year-old Australian army nurse had escaped the fall of Singapore, and survived the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke, clinging to a life raft before making it ashore at Radji Beach on Banka Island. There, 22 Australian nurses were forced into the ocean and shot by Japanese soldiers. Bullwinkel was the only survivor.

Article

Following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, US President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror".

Article

Book a facilitated education program for a rich learning experience. All programs are linked to Australian curriculum statements, and are facilitated by trained Memorial educators in small groups.

A unique and moving experience for a limited number of students each week.

Downloadable books, posters, and more made available free of charge for classroom and educational use.