James Fisher was one of eight brothers who enlisted during the First World War. He was wounded on Gallipoli and survived, only to succumb to illness on the day the Treaty of Versailles was signed, officially ending the war.

Imagine trying to work on the reverse of a fragile sheet of glass while looking in a mirror. That’s exactly what conservator Janet Hearne had to do for Framing memory, an exhibition of reverse-painted glass-framed photographs.

It’s a striking portrait of a young man about to head off to war. He stares straight at the camera, the words “Forget me not” carefully painted on the reverse of the intricate glass frame. Sadly, no one knows who he is. His portrait is one of 13 rare and fragile portraits on display in Framing memory, an exhibition of reverse-painted glass framed photographs at the Australian War Memorial.

Laurie Woods, now 95, served with Bomber Command during the Second World War and was one of more than 3,300 Australians who were involved in the D-Day campaign.

Roy Dodd and Ray Collins are the best of friends. Their unbreakable bond was forged in Vietnam when they served together in the same tank crew during the battle of Binh Ba.

The Memorial is digitising items from the National Collection and seeking contact with relatives of some people who feature in our collection items. Are you related?

The battle of Binh Ba was one of the more significant actions fought by Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War.

On 5 June 1944, Sub-Lieutenant Richard Pirrie sat down to write a letter to his family.