Roll of Honour circulars, 1914-1918 War

Accession Number	AWM131
Collection type	Official Record
Object type	Official Record
Conflict	First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright	Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain This item is in the Public Domain
Copying Provisions	Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.

Description

Printed forms completed mainly by next-of-kin and, to a lesser extent, Official Historian's staff, to provide information on those who died through the 1914-18 War for the Official Historian, the Memorial's Roll of Honour, and war graves inscriptions. Personal particulars include name, unit, regimental number, town or district of association, date and place of death, details relating to training and occupation prior to enlistment, connection with other AIF personnel, name and relationship of person completing form, etc.

In July 1919, the Australian War Museum Committee decided that the permanent building should include a main hall containing an Honour Roll with the names of Australians who, to use Dr C E W Bean's phrase, "died through the war". A draft circular to be distributed to next of kin was approved in August 1919. The Department of Defence was to bear two-thirds the cost of the form and the Australian War Museum one third. The purpose of the circulars was three-fold, to provide particulars for:

(i) the Official Historian
(ii) the Roll of Honour
(iii) inscriptions on war graves

The forms (white) were addressed for reply to the Secretary, Department of Defence, Melbourne. Completed forms were sent initially to the Base Records Office which then passed them to the Official Historian. By May 1921, c.35,000 completed forms had been received (AWM93, 746/2/1, Part 1, John Balfour for Historian, 9 May 1921). They were kept, as now, in alphabetical order in files numbered (1-754) by Arthur Bazley of the Official Historian's Staff.
From time to time he completed forms for men whose next of kin had not replied (Arthur Bazley to J Treloar, 21 October 1936). The latter forms (blue) are stamped "Compiled by Official Historian's Staff".

By 1939, with the completion of the War Memorial building at last imminent, the final compilation of the Roll of Honour became more urgent. The Roll of Honour forms were forwarded to Canberra in May of that year, in twelve cases, to assist in the task, and for permanent retention by the Memorial. At one point, it was suggested that the forms could be satisfactorily mounted on the back of the Roll of Honour cards (J Treloar to A Bazley, 21 October 1936), but this did not eventuate. However, the incorporation of the circulars' information on the cards is recorded in red on the forms. The incompleteness of the set seems to have been a contributing factor to a further distribution of circulars (using a revised form) in 1940. The latter (AWM164) were separated from the present series in early 1987 in the course of microfilming preparations.

The original forms sought information in two parts under the following headings:

"Particulars Required for the Roll of Honour of Australia in the Memorial War Museum"

1. Name (in full) of fallen soldier
2. Unit and Number (if known)
3. With what Town or District in Australia was he chiefly connected (under which his name ought to come on the Memorial) Town (if any) - District - State
4. What was his birthplace
5. Date of death
6. Place where killed or wounded

"Particulars Required for the Nation's Histories"

1. What was his Calling
2. Age at time of Death
3. What was his School
4. What was his other Training
5. If born in Britain or Abroad, at what age did he come to Australia
6. Had he ever served in any Military or Naval Force before enlisting in the AIF (please state particulars)
7. Any other biographical details likely to be of interest to the Historian of the AIF, or of his Regiment
8. Was he connected with any other Member of the AIF who died or who distinguished himself (please state relationship)
9. Name and Address of the Parent or other person giving this information: Name, Relationship to Soldier, Address
10. Names and Addresses of any other persons to whom reference could be made by the Historian for further information

Correpondence is attached to some forms.

The series date range has been based on the known approval of the draft circular (August 1919) and the likely end of additions by the Official Historian's Staff (May 1939). The contents date range relates to the dates of death of the deceased as casualties of the 1914-18 War.