Australians at war

Disclaimer

This section of our website is intended to provide a readily available summary of useful knowledge of Australian military history.

While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the following information, it is possible that some content will contain inaccuracies or errors. Even Memorial founder Charles Bean had to grapple with this inevitable problem, and found it necessary to put a disclaimer on his war diaries.

You are invited to contact our web manager if you are aware of any inaccuracies, or simply wish to make a comment.

Australian military history overview

These short chapters cover Australia's involvement in war, from the time of the first settlement at Sydney Cove in the 18th century to our peacekeeping roles under United Nations auspices and the First and Second Gulf Wars. This material has been prepared by the Memorial's Military History Section.

This month in history

Significant events in Australia's military history are profiled for the current month and listed for each month of the year.

Australia's official war histories

Since its inception, the Memorial has sponsored Australia's official war histories. Australian governments have commissioned four separate series of official war histories over this period, one for each major conflict in which Australia has been involved: the two world wars and the Cold War conflicts in Korea and south-east Asia. In 2004 the Australian Government authorised a fifth official history relating to peacekeeping and post–Cold War operations.

Australian military units

A wide variety of units of the Australian Army, RAAF, and RAN have served in times of conflict. Here, you will find profiles of some of these. Each includes a short history of the unit, details of its casualties, decorations, battle honours, commanding officers, and, in the case of technical units, equipment specifications. Within each profile you are able to search the Memorial’s collections for items relating to the unit: photographs, works of art, film, sound, private records, and relics.

Who’s who in Australian military history

Like all human activity, Australian military history features many notable personalities – courageous, talented, compassionate, insightful, and even notorious! Here, you will find the stories of some of these remarkable people.

Military organisation and structure

An introduction to the organisation and structure of Australia's military forces.

Military statistics

Statistics of Australian involvement in war and peacekeeping operations since 1885, in tabular and graph format.

Encyclopedia

The Memorial receives many public inquiries covering a wide range of topics. The Encyclopedia features answers to frequently asked questions about Australians at war. It allows you to search the Memorial's databases and provides links to other useful resources.

Anniversary talks

A series of talks held at the Memorial. These talks were initiated in 2002 to mark the 60th anniversary of the many significant events of 1942.

Search the collections

Search the Memorial's Collection databases to locate information on a large number of items in the collections, including thousands of photographs and works of art. Use the Biographical databases to discover information from the Research Centre's collections about individuals who served. The databases provide a wealth of information for a wide range of researchers.

Australia's prime ministers

Browse our collections of documents, photographs, film, and sound featuring Australia's prime ministers, with a focus on their roles in the Australian experience of war.