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

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

• I do not understand many of the acronyms and abbreviations used on my relation’s service record. Where can I find a list of such acronyms and abbreviations?

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

• The web sites of the Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia also contain a great deal of helpful information on accessing service records.
• Information about medal entitlements is available from the Directorate of Honours and Awards: visit the web site.
  You will need to send a copy of the World War I service record to the Army Medals Section of the Directorate if you are inquiring about World War I medals entitlements.
• An online database regarding Australian ANZACs in the Great War has been developed as part of The AIF Project: visit the web site.

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• 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. The Memorial's online book catalogue contains the title and publication details of numerous unit histories: search.
• For more information, the diaries maintained by the units during hostilities can also be accessed at the Australian War Memorial. These 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. A microfilm copy of the diaries can be viewed in the reading room of the Research Centre of the Australian War Memorial. 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.
• The Australian War Memorial web site also contains brief histories of Australian First and Second War units: take a look.
• 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).

I do not understand many of the acronyms and abbreviations used on my relation’s service record. Where can I find a list of such acronyms and abbreviations?

• The National Archives of Australia has produced a fact sheet ‘Abbreviations used in World War I and II Service Records’. It can be accessed via the NAA web site: take a look.
• Volume I of C. E. W. Bean’s The official history of Australia in the war of 1914–1918, also contains a useful glossary. This can be accessed via the Australian War Memorial web site: take a look.

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