Australia Military Records

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Australia

Military Records

Online Records

• Online Records for Australia in the FamilySearch catalog
• Australia, Military Commemorative Rolls & Rolls Of Honour - at Findmypast, index & images ($)
• All Australia Memorial at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• Australian Contingent at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• Australia's Fighting Sons of the Empire at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• Australia's Redcoat Settlers
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The Australian War Memorial
• National Archive's Discovering Anzacs
• Graves and memorials of Australians in the Boer War
• Australians in the Boer War
• Australia, Boer War Contingents at Findmypast - index ($)
• Photos of WWI soldiers, sailors and nurses
• World War I Service Records
• The World Remembers - WWI Deaths
• Headquarters Company, 1st Australian Task Force
• World War II Nominal Rolls
• Australian Military Forces WW2 Missing and Prisoners Of War at Findmypast - index ($)
• Korean War Nominal Roll
• Nominal Roll of Vietnam War Veterans
• Nominal Roll of First Gulf War Veterans
• Office of Australian War Graves
• 1880-1980 Web: Australia, University of Sydney Biographical Information Including World War I, 1880-1980 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1901-1940 Australia, Army Militia Service Records, 1901-1940 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
• 1914-1918 Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll 1914-1918 at Findmypast - index ($)
• 1914-1918 Australian Imperial Force Embarkation Roll 1914-1918 at Findmypast - index ($)
• 1914-1918 - ANZAC Memorial, 1914-1918 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
• 1914-1918 Australian ANZACS in the Great War 1914-1918
• 1917-1920 Australian Imperial Force, Nominal Roll Of The First Railway Section 1917-1920 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1939-1945 - Australia, World War II Military Service Records, 1939-1945 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1914-1920 Ancestry's Australia, WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1921-1948 - Australia, Royal Australian Air Force Personnel Files, 1921-1948 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
• 1939-1945 Australian World War II Nominal Roll, 1939-1945 at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1939-1947 Australia, WWII Second Australian Imperial Forces and Citizen Military Forces Service Records, 1939-1947 at Ancestry - index ($)

FamilySearch Library

• The FamilySearch Library has several Australian military records. Those available online are listed above. However many more have not been digitized. See the full listing of FamilySearch military records for Australia in these categories:

Australia - Military history ( 10 )

Australia - Military history - Army ( 2 )

Australia - Military history - Bibliography ( 1 )

Australia - Military history - Navy ( 1 )

Australia - Military history - Sources ( 1 )

Australia - Military history - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 ( 1 )

Australia - Military history - World War, 1914-1918 ( 3 )

Australia - Military records ( 64 )

Australia - Military records - Army ( 11 )

Australia - Military records - Army - Indexes ( 1 )

Australia - Military records - Army - World War, 1914-1918 ( 3 )

Australia - Military records - Handbooks, manuals, etc. ( 1 )

Australia - Military records - Indexes ( 2 )

Australia - Military records - Inventories, registers, catalogs ( 2 )

Australia - Military records - Korean War, 1950-1953 ( 1 )

Australia - Military records - Navy ( 4 )

Australia - Military records - Pensions ( 1 )

Australia - Military records - South African War, 1899-1902 ( 1 )

Australia - Military records - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 ( 3 )

Australia - Military records - World War, 1914-1918 ( 5 )

Australia - Military records - World War, 1939-1945 ( 4 )

Australia - Military records - World War, 1939-1945 - Regimental histories ( 1 )

Content

Military records identify individuals who either served in the military or who were eligible for service. Evidence that an ancestor served in the military may be found in family records, biographies, census, probate records, civil registration, and church records.

Military records may include:

• Muster rolls
• Personnel files
• Regimental account books
• Letters of deportment
• Lists of officers
• Pay vouchers or records
• Pension records
• Records of leave
• Naval records
• Descriptive rolls

Army

The history of the army in Australia can be divided into three main groups:

• Imperial forces
• Local colonial forces

Navy

The organization of the navy is divided into three groups:

• The British era, 1788–1887
  
• Auxiliary squadrons and subsidies, 1887–1909
• Australian squadron, 1909–
• The British navy first arrived in Australia as a part of the first fleet. The first regular warship was stationed at Sydney in 1821, and the navy continued to be in Australia from that point on. In 1855 Australia’s first warship was built. Although Australia had organized its own navy by 1869, it was still under the protection of the British navy. In 1901 the Australian government took over jurisdiction of the navy.
  

Imperial Forces (1788–1870)

The marines, under the direction of the Admiralty Board, were the first military presence in Australia. They arrived with the first fleet and were assigned to guard the convicts. In 1790 the marines were replaced by the first army regiment. The British maintained army regiments in Australia from that time until 1870.

Local Colonial Forces (1854–1901)

By 1842 Great Britain was pressing the colonies to develop and support their own defense force. By 1870 the last of the British troops had left Australia. In order to keep a strong military force, some colonies, including New South Wales and Victoria, offered land to those who had served at least five years in the military. The colonies soon realized they needed to coordinate their defense activities. As a result, in 1877 a British commissioner of defense came to the colonies and helped organize an army.

Availability of Records

The records of regiments that served in Australia are available at some archives and genealogical societies in Australia. British military records are held at the Public Record Office listed below. Some records are also available on microfilm through the Family History Library.

Public Record Office
Ruskin Avenue
Kew
Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU
ENGLAND
Internet: website

Military records in Australia can be found in the following repository:

Australian War Memorial
G.P.O. Box 345
Canberra
Australian Capital Territory 2601
AUSTRALIA
website

The Australian War Memorial holds a large collection of military records. The memorial has a research center, but the staff does not offer a research service. They will provide a list of other people who do research at their center. There are many research guides avalible at the site, under Research a Person.website

Australian Goverment Department of Veteran's Affairs
GPO Box 9998
Brisbane QLD 4001
Phone:800-555-254
website. *Please be aware that webiste will be moving to its new home by the end of 2019.

Military Historical Society of Australia
Federal Secretary
Military Historical Society of Australia
PO Box 5030
GARRAN ACT 2605
Australia
website

Royal Australian Air Force -RAAF- Records
National Australian Archives Office and the RAAF Aviation heritage centres have records to help your search.
NAAwebsite and RAAF

Astralian Goverment Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Entitlements
Veterans’ Affairs Network
G.P.O. Box 802
Canberra
Australian Capital Territory 2601
AUSTRALIA
website.

Most state archives will have some military records. For a listing of the archives and their addresses, see the "Archives and Libraries" article of this wiki. Check their holdings to determine exactly what the state archives have. Two states have military history societies that can help you. The addresses of these societies are:

New South Wales State Archives
Reading Room: 161 O'Connell Street
Kingswood NSW 2747
Telephone:(02)9673-1788
Email: info@records.nsw.gov.au
website.

South Australia
South Australian Maritime Museum
126 Lipsom Street
Port Adelaide
South Australia 5015
AUSTRALIA
website.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.