Where do I find the service record for a relation of mine who served in the Australian Forces?

Read through the Australian Army History Unit's Family History page first of all to see if your questions are answered: Family history

The National Archives of Australia collection contains records of service in the Australian armed forces, dating principally from Federation in 1901.

These records are being progressively made available online, so check the web site first. Go to: National Archives Open in new window and click on Record Search which is carefully hidden at the top right of the page, above the pictures. Log in as a Visitor. Once in Record Search, use the person's name, in the order Surname, Given Names (eg Smith, John Frederick) as key words. The Service Number, if know, can be included as a discriminator.

If the records you are seeking are not yet online, please apply to:
National Archives of Australia
PO Box 7425
Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610
Phone: 1300 886 881
Fax: 1300 886 882
Email: ref@naa.gov.au

There is a great deal of helpful information on accessing service records on the web sites of the Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia.

Australian War Memorial information sheets Open in new window
National Archives of Australia Open in new window

Information about medal entitlements is available from Defence Honours and Awards: Defence Honours and Awards Open in new window

You will need to send a copy of the World War I service record to the section if you are inquiring about World War I medals entitlements. The personal file of the member should show his or her medal entitlements. Look closely at the file as all three service medals for World War I are usually stamped on the record with an annotation of the date of issue or "NE" (No Entitlement) written on the stamp.

An online database regarding Australian ANZACs in the Great War has been developed as part of The AIF Project: The AIF Project Open in new window

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How can I obtain obsolete defence equipment/memorabilia to display in our museum/RSL club?

AAHU is not a disposal authority for out of service equipment. Like all museums, we only hold objects relevant to Army's various museum collection policies . The group responsible for all military equipment disposals is the Defence Material Organisation (DMO). You can contact the DMO's Disposals Helpdesk on 02 9393 2914.

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Where can I find any personal information available about my relation?

Biographical databases and rolls are the first places to look for personal information.

The AWM has extensive searchable online databases, including its own nomimal rolls and also links to others: Australian War Memorial Biographical Databases Open in new window

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I have an old colour patch and badge that belonged to my relation. Where can I find out which unit or formation these represent?

The Australian Army History Unit has an extensive online collection of Australian Army colour patches and badges that may help you identify your relative's:
These will be back online in digital format in the near future.

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Where can I find what battle honours my relative's unit earned?

The History section of the Australian Army History Unit web site contains details of the battle honours of the Australian Army from the First Sudan War through to World War II: Battle honours

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How do I find out about the unit, such as the battalion or regiment, my relation served with?

Many units have published unit histories, which can usually be located thorough local or state public libraries or the Research Centre at the Australian War Memorial (AWM): Australian War Memorial Research Centre Open in new window

The AWM's online book catalogue contains the title and publication details of numerous unit histories: Search AWM's online book catalogue Open in new window

The AWM holds War Diaries maintained by the units during hostilities which can be a useful source of information. These can be accessed at the AWM. War Diaries are a concise, accurate, day-to-day operational account of the unit, but can vary considerably in quality and diaries unfortunately do not exist for every unit that served.

The AWM has an ongoing project to scan the diaries and publish them online so a first check should be made of the web site: Australian Army War Diaries Open in new window

A microfilm copy of the diaries can be viewed in the reading room of the AWM Research Centre. If you are unable to view a copy of the unit diaries yourself, you may wish to engage a research agent to undertake research on your behalf. See:

Australian War Memorial Research Centre Open in new window

The AWM web site also contains brief histories of Australian First and Second War units: Australian Military Units Open in new window

A further source of information is the official history of the relevant conflict, such as C. E. W. Bean's The official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918 (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1937). This is available online through the AWM: Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 Open in new window