Darwin, the largest population centre in northern Australia, was considered a vital asset in Australia's defences against an increasingly aggressive Japanese Empire in the 1930s. Its port and airfield ...

Doris Evelyn Jeffs was born in Perth in June 1922. She joined the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) at Fremantle, Western Australia on the 8 February 1943 and was posted to the local ...

Jan O’Herne was born in 1923 at Bandoeng, in central Java. After the Japanese invasion of the NEI, she, her mother, and her two sisters were interned, along with thousands of other Dutch women and ...

On 3 September 1939 Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies announced the beginning of Australia's involvement in the Second World War on every national and commercial radio station in Australia. Almost ...

Over 400,000 people enlisted to serve for Australia in the First World War. While some volunteers were rejected because of their age, height, or size, the Defence Act stated that people “not ...

Anzac Day is our national day of commemoration. On Saturday 25 April 2026, the Australian War Memorial will mark the 111th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and commemorate all Australians who ...

Tattoos are a conversation starter. Many members and veterans of the Australian Defence Forces have tattoos, and while their reasons for getting tattooed are as varied as the people themselves, ...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people please be advised that the following pages contain the names, images and objects of deceased people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a ...

The army biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very ...

Before the First World War, Australia was the only English-speaking country which had a system of compulsory military training during a time of peace. The legislation for compulsory military training ...

Classroom Showcase The Education team is always keen to see how Memorial resources are helping in the classroom. See some recent submissions of student work here. Find out more Last updated: 8 ...

As part of the attempt to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula in order to suppress the Turkish defences guarding the Dardanelles, military landings were made at Cape Helles at the southern tip of the ...