Memorial Articles
The Memorial boasts a staff of subject specialists in all aspects of military history and museum practice.
Our articles and our Encyclopedia allow subject specialists to share their knowledge on Australian military history.
They also provide a way for us to take a closer look at the people and the stories behind the history and our museum collection.
UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
The Australian War Memorial’s Film and Sound section work to document and preserve audiovisual items relating to Australia’s Military History, and to make these accessible to the public.
The sound collection comprises approximately 7,000 hours (over 4000 titles) of sound recordings, held mainly on disc, magnetic tape and increasingly as digital files.
Scarlet and the Village Maiden Handicap
Read about how serve personnel in Dutch New Guinea celebrated Melbourne Cup day 1945
German Official and Regimental Histories
The Memorial’s Research Centre holds over 900 First World War German Official and Regimental Histories in its Published Collection.
Relics of the 16th Battalion at the Bloody Angle, Gallipoli, 1919
In January 1919 tattered pieces of uniform were found lying among the bones of the men of the 16th Battalion, who were killed trying to advance at the Bloody Angle on 2 May 1915. These items were recovered by Lieutenant William Hopkin James, who headed a small party to Gallipoli for the Australian War Records Section (the precursor to the Australian War Memorial).
The Swinden collection
Read about the collection humorous emails, guidelines regarding local customs, information booklets, postcards and other ephemera collected by Commander Swinden during his years in service
Love Letter Update
With the help of an enthusiastic member of the public, and her wonderfully helpful relative in France, we have since found a few more details about Marthe and her letter.
The Not So Great Escape
Read the story of the Kormoran’s Commander, Theodor Anton Detmers and his time as a POW in Australia during WWII
The Cessation of Operation CATALYST
CATALYST began on the 20th of March 2003 and defined the role of the Australian Defence Force in assisting multinational forces in the stabilization and security of Iraq.
