To mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War – 25 June 1950 – the Memorial will be sharing stories, photos and information about Australian service in Korea. Our blogs, articles and encyclopedia entries are written by Memorial historians, curators, librarians and exhibition officers to share their knowledge and information on the Korean War, the Memorial’s collection, exhibitions and events.

Online exhibitions will be featured on our website, updated regularly with new content until 27 July 2020, the anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. The website will be kept in perpetuity for future Korean War anniversaries.

 

digging

LIFE ON THE JAMESTOWN LINE

MINI EXHIBITION

Official war artist Ivor Hele (1912-1993) vividly depicted this life and men of the Royal Australian Army Regiments in his drawings and paintings.

 

unforgotten

UNFORGOTTEN CHILDREN

ONLINE EXHIBITION

Over 100,000 Korean children were orphaned or displaced during the Korean War, separated from their parents by death, geography and poverty. Australians in the army, air force and navy regularly interacted with Korean civilians and became deeply concerned by the plight of the children. The children were not forgotten.

 

FRANKNORTON

ON PATROL WITH FRANK NORTON

ONLINE EXHIBITION

Frank Norton was appointed as the Australian War Memorial’s official war artist to Korea in May 1952 to cover the activities of the Royal Australian Navy. These watercolours take us with Norton on his first Korean patrol with HMAS Warramunga.

 

service

"ON HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE"

ONLINE EXHIBITION

The On Her Majesty’s Service exhibition toured venues across Australia during 1953 and 1954, with over 200 photographs – shot by “an army photographer” – demonstrating the organisation and achievements of the defence forces in Korea.

 

warpaint

WAR PAINT

AUSTRALIAN NOSE ART OVER KOREA

During the Korean War, No. 77 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) had a diverse range of nose art on their Mustangs and Meteor aircraft.  From rank emblems and names applied in cursive red font to more ornate artworks including cartoons and sporting emblems, the unit continued the tradition of applying nose art to wartime Australian military aircraft.