Memorial Box Banter - Part III
The Australian War Memorial is fortunate to have nearly eighty Memorial Boxes situated across Australia. Twenty are stored on-site here in Canberra whilst the remainder are administered by the State Library of Queensland, Social Education Victoria, City of Fremantle, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Darwin Military Museum, State Library of South Australia, Albury City Library Museum, Western-Australian Museum and Museum of Tropical Queensland throughout the year.
Each December, these sixty Memorial Boxes are returned to Canberra for a thorough review. The contents are carefully examined by our Education staff, the uniforms are professionally dry-cleaned and the exterior and interior of the cases are cleaned. Over 400 schools and community organisations borrow the Memorial Boxes each year so this process ensures that these collection items are well-maintained for future use.
The Memorial Boxes have now been returned and borrowers across Australia are already putting in their requests for this year. As the First World War centenary approaches, the Memorial Boxes are set to become even more popular. If you would like to find out how you can access this resource, please email memorial.box@awm.gov.au.