Photo Depository: Australian Military Memorial

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra has one of the largest military collections in the world. The archive has over 800,000 photographs documenting Austrailian military service and military history from the 1860s to today. Over 300,000 digitized photographs are available on the Memorial website. In addition to photographs, the museum also collects artwork, films, audio recordings, books, maps and personal diaries of war participants. The oldest documents date back to 1789.

Archive photographs document military events of the19th through the 21st century: the Crimean War, WW I and II, The Spanish Civil War, armed conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, Cambodia, Iran and Iraq. Along with pictures of military machinery, battleships and battlefields, the archive also contains images showing the daily life of soldiers, nurses at work, war time weddings, parades and other memorable events. The website of the Memorial has an extensive “Encyclopedia” section that allows one to search the contents of the Memorial’s databases, and provides links to other resources.

The Memorial’s purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of Australians who have died in war. Its mission is to assist Australians and people from other countries to remember, interpret and understand the Australian experience of war and its enduring impact on society. The museum was founded by Charles Bean, World War I historian. The collection itself was started in May 1917 by John Trelor, who later became the Head of the Memorial.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_04.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Observer, pilot, and Bristol Fighter F2B aircraft, February 1918.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_05.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “An accident on aerodrome during the German offensive. Savy, France, March 1918.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_01.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Left: Disembarkation of troops on Anzac Beach, Gallipoli, Turkey. April 25, 1915. Right: Captain D. Michelson with a turtle named ’Tim’, Julis, Palestine.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_06.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Fixing incendiary bombs to an R.E.8 aircraft at the AFC airfield north west of Arras. Pas de Calais, France, October 22, 1917.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_07.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Zeppelin launch, Western front, Belgium. October 27, 1917.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_08.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Group portrait of five decorated Australian Flying Corps officers standing in front of an Avro 504K aircraft, Point Cook, Vic., c. 1919-20.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_02.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Left: Troops arriving at Anzac Beach, April 25, 1915. Right: A wounded AIF soldier receives an affectionate welcome home at the Anzac Buffet in The Domain. Sydney, NSW, 1919.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_09.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “6th Battalion soldiers leaving their transport ship, April 25, 1915.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_10.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “A corporal, probably member of the staff of the 2nd Australian general hospital, holds a koala, a pet or mascot in Cairo, 1915.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_11.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Members of the 2/48th Battalion, 9th Australian Division, with a pet dog, after evacuation from Tobruk on the ship Kingston. Alexandria, Egypt.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_03.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Left: A kangaroo named Jimony and a nurse at the Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield, England. Right: Staff sergeant major Morgan and his dog. Melbourne, Australia, 1915.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_12.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “An American soldier at an advanced allied base with his pet kangaroo, 1942.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_13.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “A possum and a movie camera. North Australia, 1943.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_14.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “Colonel Granville Ryrie mounted on his horse Plain Bill. Sidney, NSW, 1914.”}

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/australia_15.jpg”, “alt”: “AWM Collection”, “text”: “The squadron mascots, 1943.”}