Indigenous Stories

The Memorial is honoured to be able to share the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Identify and Recognise

An important part of the role of the Memorial’s Indigenous Liaison Officer is to find the Indigenous identities of unidentified servicemen. Here are two such stories.

'It is a little-known story that deserves to be widely known'

When two platoons came under fire from hostile machine-guns at Chuignes on 23 August 1918, George Matthews sprang into action.

Remembering Christopher Carter

Major General Marcus Thompson always knew his great-great uncle fought and died during the First World War, but the details of his ancestry were far less clear.

'It's about respect, and recognising people for who they are'

Imagine having to lie about who you are to serve your country. That’s exactly what one soldier had to do to enlist during the Second World War. One of thousands of Indigenous Australians who served during the war, his name is now recorded on the Australian War Memorial’s new Second World War Indigenous Service List.

Fighting for Country

It was a day that would change Clarence Atkinson’s life forever – the 27th of June 1941.

Remembering Warrior Spirit

Daniel Hodgekiss, a Ngarrindjeri man, enlisted in the AIF at Mildura in February 1916. For 88 years his grave remained unmarked until a local historian enlisted the help of the Mildura RSL and the Office of Australian War Graves.