Second World War, 1939-1945

Overview

Australian military history overview: Second World War, 1939–45

Nominal rolls

The Department of Veteran's Affairs created the World War 2 Nominal Roll, which provides the following details:

Service number
Full name
Place of enlistment
Date of enlistment/attestation
Place of birth
Date of birth
Unit/ship/squadron at discharge
Date of death or discharge
Substantive rank on discharge
Prisoner of war status (yes or no)
Next of kin
Honours and gallantry awards

Some published unit histories provide lists of names of their members, usually with service number. You can identify if there is a published unit history for your individual's unit by searching the Library database. Search using the name of the unit and the the date range as keywords, for example "2/2 Battalion 1939–1945".

Personal service records

Service records of those who served with Australian forces are held by the National Archives of Australia. You can apply to the Archives for copies of personal service records.

If your individual served with the forces of another country during the Second World War please see the information sheet Personal service records: countries other than Australia for further information.

Those who died while serving

The Roll of Honour records the names of servicemen and servicewomen who died during or as a result of service with Australian military forces. The Roll of Honour introduction provides detailed information about Roll of Honour eligibility.

The Commemorative Roll lists Australians who died during or as a result of wars or warlike operations in which Australians have been on active service but who were not eligible for inclusion on the Roll of Honour. The Commemorative Roll introduction provides detailed information about Commemorative Roll eligibility.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission's register lists all British Commonwealth soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars. The register provides details about where the individual is buried or commemorated, including plans and photographs of the cemetery or memorial.

Details of circumstances of deaths or wounding

It can be difficult to locate detailed information about how someone was wounded or killed during their service. Sources that may help include:

Second World War POWs and Missing Persons : displays the digitised AWM232 series files for over 23,000 Australian Military Forces prisoners of war and missing personnel from operations in the Far East and South West Pacific Islands, as of 30 June 1944.
University of Melbourne Archives: Missing, Wounded and POW Enquiry Cards: Comprises 60,699 cards used by the Central Bureau for Wounded, Missing and Prisoners of War of the Australian Red Cross to trace the welfare and whereabouts of members of the armed forces, and some civilians, during the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Published unit histories and unit war diaries may provide information on location and general circumstances of the unit on the date of death.

Where they served

To locate where an individual served during the war you need to examine records of the unit with which your individual was serving. The personal service records will indicate the units and dates relevant for the individual's service. For further assistance please refer to our guide, Researching the history of a unit.

Australian Army

War diaries were kept by the commanding officer of a unit to record daily activities and location. The Memorial has digitised headquarters and infantry units' diaries from the Second World War. Those war diaries that have not been digitised are available in the Research Centre.

Published unit histories can be a useful source for information about where a unit served and its operations. You can identify if there is a published unit history for your individual's unit by searching the Collections database. Search using the name and date range of the unit, for example "2/2 Battalion 1939–1945".

Royal Australian Navy

Reports of Proceedings (ROPs), known previously as “Letters of Proceedings”, are summaries of a ship’s or shore base’s activities. The reports were submitted by commanding officers to the Chief of Naval Staff. To identify relevant ROPs in the Memorial’s collection use the RecordSearch database, entering the name of the ship as your keyword and AWM78 in the series number field. These records are available for viewing in the Research Centre. The Memorial is progressively digitising its collection of ROPs, many of which are now available for viewing online.

Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) formation and unit records (AWM64) were kept to record operations and activities of RAAF units. The records are available for viewing on microfilm in the Research Centre. The original records have been withdrawn from public access due to their fragile nature. Original records are issued only when no microfilm copy is available. The National Archives of Australia has a duplicate series A9186, many records of which have been digitised and are available online through the RecordSearch database.

General information

Official histories are a detailed chronological record of all services and all theatres of conflict. The official history for the Second World War, Australia in the War of 1939–1945, has been digitised and is available for viewing on the Memorial's web site.

Where to look for photographs

Collections Search gives access to images of photographs held by the Memorial.
PhotoSearch is the online photographic catalogue of the National Archives of Australia, and contains digital images of photographs from the collections in all state and territory offices of the archives.
Trove includes photographs and other images held by a range of major Australian libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions.
Second World War personal service records may contain a photograph.

Other sources

Second World War Official Histories: Official histories are a detailed chronological record of all services and all theatres of conflict. The official history for the Second World War, Australia in the War of 1939–1945, has been digitised and is available for viewing on the Memorial's web site.
Virtual War Memorial Australia is a commemorative collection, purpose built to honour the personal experiences of all those who have served the nation in times of conflict, from the Boer War through to Afghanistan.