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.
“I do not know how we fare in winter”: Clothing the Contingent
The New South Wales and Victorian naval contingents were ill-equipped for winter, and the blue serge uniforms and greatcoats they embarked with were woefully inadequate to deal with a long and bitterly cold winter in northern China.
“A fair woman with an indomitable courage”: Dr Laura Elizabeth Forster
Dr Laura Elizabeth Forster was a trailblazing woman who pushed the boundaries of societal norms to become a respected doctor, surgeon, and researcher.
“It is not safe out after dark”: Policing duties and relations between the Eight-Nation Alliance
With the Boxers largely suppressed by September 1900, the colonial contingents were primarily assigned to policing and guard duties to help restore civil order.
Flying the Yellow Flag: The Contingents in Quarantine
The New South Wales and Victorian naval contingents embarked on their return from China on the transport SS Chingtu on 29 March 1901.
The first WRANS
Florence McKenzie, known as Mrs Mac, campaigned tirelessly for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to accept her skilled female telegraphists into their services.
'It gave me that purpose that I was looking for'
Adam Barrett is on a mission to get people talking. What began as a project to rebuild an old Harley Davidson motorbike in memory of his mates and give him a sense of purpose soon grew into an eight-day ride to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to raise awareness of veterans’ mental health.
Playing their part
The first women in the Air Force may not have flown, but they made a great contribution to the war at home.
Ephemera of the Gulf War 1990-1991 – Thirty years of collecting
Thirty years ago today hostilities between Iraqi and Coalition forces ended, bringing the Gulf War to a close. The Memorial has digitised its collection of ephemera from this period as part of the Memorial’s Digitisation Project 2018–2022.
'It was pretty eye opening'
Matthew Robinson was 18 years old when he deployed to East Timor in September 1999.