Roll of Honour circulars, 1939-45 War

Accession Number AWM108
Collection type Official Record
Object type Official Record
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

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Description

In 1941, the Government extended the scope of the Australian War Memorial to include the 1939-45 War. Information concerning the deaths of Australian service personnel in this war was forwarded to the Memorial by the Directorate of War Graves Services (later, the Anzac Agency of the Imperial War Graves Commission) for use in the compilation of the Roll of Honour (AWM Registry file 746/2/1).
Unlike two earlier series of circulars relating to 1914-18 War deaths (AWM131, AWM164), the present series was not distributed to next of kin for completion, although some forms have been stamped in the lower right hand corner "NOK Circularized". The information contained in the series has, in effect, been transcribed. Entries are typescript with occasional handwritten annotations. A more correct series title would be "Roll of Honour forms, 1939-45", this being the title used on the folders in which the forms are contained.

The folders (24 x 27.5 cm) are numbered 1-73. Numbers 64-66 are boxes containing loose forms (surnames beginning "T", "U", "V") which were apparently mislaid in the late 1940's and consequently remain unbound. Information provided on the forms comes under the following heading:

official number, rank, name, honours, age, ship or unit, service, date and place of death, place of burial, usual place of residence, occupation, birthplace, parentage (father, mother), wife (name), connection, Roll of Honour, signature (next of kin), address

A space at the bottom of the form for "Remarks" has not been filled in. Entries under the heading "Connection" frequently include references to the service of other relatives in the War in South Africa, 1914-18 War, 1939-45 War.
The series is far from complete for all personnel, although all services are represented - Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Naval Reserve, Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force, etc.

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