Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Landmark & historical place

Australian War Memorial

Locality: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Phone: +61 2 6243 4211

Address: Treloar Cres 2612 Canberra, ACT, Australia

Website: http://www.awm.gov.au

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25.01.2022 A long journey home for the Unknown Australian Soldier Remembrance Day at the Australian War Memorial in 1993 was a particularly significant occasion; that year an unknown Australian soldier was entombed in the Memorial grounds. The idea of reburying the remains of an Australian who lost his life in the horrific trench warfare of the Western Front had existed since the 1920s. In 1992, a decision was taken to reinter a digger in a tomb in the Hall of Memory as an appropriate w...ay of marking the 75th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice. In late 1993, Memorial Director Brendan Kelson travelled with a small team to Adelaide Cemetery, near Villers-Brettoneaux in France, where the Commonwealth Graves Commission had identified four resting places that might yield a suitable candidate for repatriation. These men had been reburied from various battlefields after the war; their identities were lost to time. The first grave that was exhumed held the remains that would travel to Australia and be laid to rest at the Memorial. The remains were handed to the delegation which would accompany them on their five day journey to Canberra. Continue Reading: http://ow.ly/jJnJ50Cd4Et Visit our Remembrance Day hub to explore our range of digital experiences including our webinar series, veteran interviews, podcasts, virtual poppy wall, videos and more. Explore: www.awm.gov.au/werememberthem #WeRememberThem #RemembranceDay Image: The bearer party conveys the coffin up the steps to the front of the Australian War Memorial. PAIU1993/268.07 Photographer: Hans Reppin.

25.01.2022 In the countdown to the end of the year we are taking a look back at the year 2020. On 20 January we were honoured to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Sergeant Donald ‘Donnie’ Storrie and his service in the Second World War. Donnie’s twin sister Merle marked her 100th birthday by attending the Ceremony held in honour of her brother, presumed killed in action, 75 years earlier.... In attendance were Merle’s family and friends, Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan and Members of the ACT WRANS Association of which Merle is a lifelong member. Vice Admiral Michael Noonan presented Merle with a gold medallion and flowers to mark the occasion. You can see more photos of the Ceremony here: http://ow.ly/fihY50Cw4pv You can watch the LPC here: http://ow.ly/HtYe50Cw4pu Photography by Ian Roach

25.01.2022 On this day in 1900 Pink Hill, South Africa was attacked by a Boer force resulting in the deaths of seven Australians and the wounding of 22 others. On 12 February 1900 a force of Victorians, South Australians and 100 British soldiers, all under the command of Major George Albert Eddy, was holding the line on Pink Hill when it was attacked by a considerable number of Boers. The situation on Pink Hill quickly became untenable, but to avoid a rout, the troops could be retired o...nly in small numbers. Eddy remained on the hill to the last, covering and directing the retirement and organising cover. His men later reported that he had been firing so rapidly that he had been able to hold off a force outnumbering his by four or five to one, and that he was instrumental in saving the lives of many. He remained to the end, waiting until all the men near him were ready to get away, and then got to his feet to cover them. As he did so he was shot in the head, and died instantaneously. His body was later recovered, and he was the first of five Australians who died on Pink Hill to receive a formal burial. View the Last Post Ceremony for Major Eddy: http://ow.ly/F5gl50DpJ02 Image: Lieutenant George Albert Eddy c. 1899. P04321.002

24.01.2022 The fighting which took place around the French village of Pozieres in 1916 was among the most devastating action seen by Australian troops during the First World War. Over the course of several attacks made against German positions between July and August 1916, more than 23,000 Australian casualties were sustained. The name ‘Pozieres’ has become synonymous with Australian sacrifice. It was here over 104 years ago that 23-year-old Private John ‘Jack’ Adams was killed in actio...n on the 25th of July 1916. Jack had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force exactly one year earlier with his older brother, George. Jack, however, would never make it home. Read article in full: http://ow.ly/oiEV50C4DMh Image: Private John Adams (Seated) alongside his brother, George Adams MM. P08737.001

23.01.2022 AWM Object of the Week This table was commissioned by the surviving Australian Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War and presented to Hugh Donald McIntosh MLC in 1924 for his services to returned servicemen. The table was bequeathed to the Australian War Memorial on Macintosh's death in London in 1942 and for many years was used by visiting dignitaries and heads of state to sign the visitor's book. The timbers used in the manufacture of the desk represent wood from... all the states and territories of Australia. The 65 squares represent the number of Australians (now generally regarded as 66) who were awarded the Victoria Cross between 1915 and 1919. #AWMobjects Accession number: RELAWM14262 #objectoftheweek #myAWM #AWMemorial

22.01.2022 After the actions of the Broken Bridge and Chongju, the 27th Commonwealth Brigade held position near the town of Pakchon, in defence of the road leading south to the Chongchon River. Australian troops were concentrated on the west bank of the Taeryong River near Pakchon. On the night of 4-5 November, Chinese troops, who had only recently entered the war, attacked the area. They were repelled by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the morning of 5 November, but other ...Chinese troops continued to advance southwards, threatening to isolate the position of the brigade. The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR), was hurriedly sent to stop the Chinese on a tactically important ridgeline, east of Pakchon. The battle claimed 12 Australian lives and 70 men were wounded. Read more about Pakchon in 1950: http://ow.ly/6Hlb50C2hiQ Image: Pakchon, Korea. 1950-11-05. A stretcher bearer attends to a soldier of A Company, Headquarters, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), wounded in the forearm while fighting in the hills. Photographer: Claude Rudolph Holzheimer. 146959

21.01.2022 In the countdown to the end of the year we are taking a look back at the unusual and challenging year that was 2020. The year began with thick smoke caused by the devastating summer bushfires. Due to severe smoke the Last Post Ceremony was moved inside for the safety of staff and visitors. Photo Credit: ABC Canberra, Travels with Mum and jthtakespics

21.01.2022 War memorials continue to be enduring expressions of love, loss, grief, and pride through towns, communities and cities across the nation. ‘Places of Pride’, the National Register of War Memorials, is an Australian War Memorial initiative to record the location and gather images of every publicly accessible memorial in Australia. Help us build the national register by uploading photos of your local war memorial this Remembrance Day to https://placesofpride.awm.gov.au #PlacesOfPride #RemembranceDay #LestWeForget

20.01.2022 On this day 78 years ago Ordinary Seaman Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean performed an extraordinary act of bravery to save the lives of his comrades. Today the Governor-General will present the insignia of the Victoria Cross for Australia to the Sheean family. Teddy Sheean will be the first member of the Royal Australian Navy to receive the Victoria Cross.... You can find all the details on the Investiture Ceremony, Last Post Ceremony and more on our website. Explore: https://www.awm.gov.au/edward-sheean

20.01.2022 We are very proud to announce that From a Whisper to a Bang! has been nominated for 'The Creativity Award’ @AusPodAwards 2020. Commissioned by the Australian War Memorial and produced by renowned Australian broadcaster Megan Spencer, From a Whisper to a Bang! is a six-part series about remembrance. Recorded over 2 years in Europe and Australia the series tells the story of an Australian prisoner of war and a granddaughter’s emotional personal journey of ‘historical empathy. ...VOTE NOW https://australianpodcastawards.com/vote Follow this link and listen to the 6 part series. https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/podcasts/Whisper Or subscribe via your favourite podcast provider. #fromawhispertoabang! #FWTAB #AWMposdcast #MeganSpencer Megan Spencer Meditation

19.01.2022 Major General Marcus Thompson always knew his great-great uncle was killed during the First World War, but the details of his ancestry were far less clear. There had always been this story in my family that my mother’s great uncle Christopher Carter had fought and died in the First World War, he said. My mother and her cousins would talk about this uncle, and how he and his sister, my great-grandmother, my mother’s grandmother, were Aboriginal people... My mother had been researching and trying to get to the bottom of it, to find the proof that confirmation that indeed Nana was an Aboriginal woman, and that Uncle Chris was an Aboriginal man, but they just couldn’t put their finger on it. When he heard the Australian War Memorial was trying to identify Indigenous service people, he shared his family’s story with the Memorial’s Indigenous Liaison Officer Michael Bell. He had his answer within two days. It’s been a big deal for the family, particularly for my mum. This has been something she has been trying to get her arms around, to find that evidence, if you like, of our background. He was proud to share Carter’s story at the Australian War Memorial’s Last Post Ceremony on 10 November 2020. To have the opportunity for Chris Carter to be honoured as part of NAIDOC Week is super special, he said. Read article in full: http://ow.ly/SPEC50CjowT Image: Photograph taken by David Whittaker AWM2020.4.105.65 #NAIDOCWEEK #NAIDOC2020

18.01.2022 David Emmett Coyne was just 19 years old when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the 25th of January 1916. A farmer from Queensland, Coyne spent only a few months training in Australia before embarking from Hobart in May on board HMAT Seang Choon. By May 1918, Coyne was a qualified bombing instructor stationed with the 31st Battalion. He had been ordered by his platoon commander to periodically inspect bomb supplies to ensure they were in good working condition.... On the evening of the 15th of May 1918, Coyne, suspicious of the quality of some Mills grenades issued in the front lines, decided to test the bombs by throwing them into no man’s land. Grabbing one of the bombs, Coyne placed a foot on the fire step, and was raising his arm to throw when he lost his balance, dropping the bomb into the trench. Get for your lives! he yelled, there’s a bomb in the trench! Struggling to find the bomb in the darkness, Coyne threw himself over it to shield his comrades from the blast. Continue reading: http://ow.ly/EKe250Cjjlk Image: Sergeant David Emmett Coyne P01982.001

17.01.2022 Pause for one minute’s silence At 11am on the 11th of November, we ask you to observe a minute’s silence to remember the servicemen and servicewomen who have risked their lives to defend our nation and build peace. Wherever you are at home, school or work - honour their spirit this Remembrance Day. ... For more information on how you can commemorate, visit our website: https://www.awm.gov.au/werememberthem #RemembranceDay #WeRememberThem

17.01.2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have served in every conflict in which Australia has been engaged. Compiled on our NAIDOC week hubpage are just some of the stories from the Memorial that recognise, celebrate and commemorate the history and achievements of Indigenous Australians in defence of country and nation. Visit our NAIDOC Week hub page and explore.... https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/naidocweek2020 #NAIDOC2020 #NAIDOCWEEK

16.01.2022 #Onthisday in 1943 Sergeant Tom. C. Derrick, 2/48th Battalion, is awarded the Victoria Cross for actions at the battle of Sattelberg, New Guinea. Derrick, one of the great Australian soldiers of the Second World War, seized the summit of Sattelberg virtually single-handedly, leading the way for the Australian occupation of the dominating feature. Derrick’s exploits brought him to wide public attention and he became a legendary figure in the 9th Division. When news of his de...ath spread, in May 1945, one soldier said it was as if the whole war stopped. Read more: http://ow.ly/JN6Y50CpKGf Image: 141309

12.01.2022 On 24 November 1918, HMAS Encounter embarked from Sydney laden with supplies and medical staff. The vessel was on its way to provide medical assistance to Pacific islands affected by Spanish influenza; this was Australia’s first overseas disaster relief operation. Spanish flu, as it was known, spread across the globe with alarming speed. An estimated 20 million people died as a result of the First World War; at least 50 million died during the influenza outbreak that follow...ed. Read the article: http://ow.ly/VvoU50CpKy9 #OurContinuingStory Image: A wounded Australian soldier with two masked Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses outside the flu ward at the Randwick Military Hospital, c. 1919. P02789.002

11.01.2022 Help us honour the Australian servicemen and service women who have served our country by leaving your message of support on our virtual poppy wall. Place a poppy: https://lestweforget.gov.au/ #/ #RemembranceDay #WeRememberThem

11.01.2022 Sergeant (Sgt) J E Spencer, a member of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces, working at a desk-mounted record player in Kure, Japan, in 1955. He is marking the starting point of a track on a record with a white pencil. (HOLJ0101, photographer: Claude R Holzheimer) #PhotoOfTheWeek

10.01.2022 On Thursdays we dig into our archives to explore the origins of the Australian War Memorial’s collections and exhibitions. This 1930s image shows a diorama in the Memorial’s collections area at the Melbourne Exhibition Building being prepared for transport to the newly-built Memorial in Canberra. 'Evacuation of the Wounded: Regimental Aid Post' [ART41027] is the second in a series of nine dioramas depicting the scheme of evacuation practiced at the Battle of Messines. This mo...del shows the walking wounded and stretcher cases arriving at a Regimental Aid Post. This is one of a series of photographs taken by Roy Weston of the work preparing and packing the collection for transfer from Melbourne to Canberra in the 1930s. Roy Weston began working for the Memorial as a junior clerk, aged 15, in 1923. (Image: P07464.036 Photographer: Roy Weston) #HistoryoftheAWM #OurContinuingStory #myAWM

10.01.2022 When Barney Cain heard Japanese bombers flying over Rabaul, he thought he was going to die. I thought they were going to drop right on us ... right on my head ... but they didn’t. It just shows you my luck, or whatever you like to call it.... When the Japanese landed at Rabaul on 23 January 1942, the small Australian garrison was quickly overwhelmed and most of its troops, including six army nurses, were captured. About 400 troops, including Barney, evaded capture. By that time we were running from the Japanese and you had one thing on your mind feet, do your duty. Barney spent the next three and a half months evading the Japanese, crossing rivers, and trekking through the rugged mountains and jungles of New Britain in a desperate attempt to escape. More than 75 years after the end of the war, Barney remembers it all, including his army number VX30679. He still has his dog tags, and gets emotional talking about his mates, and how young they all were. There’s no way you would have got me to tell you all this after the war, he said. I didn’t talk about it up until recently, but I think it probably helps to get things off your chest, doesn’t it? Looking back, he still considers himself fortunate; fortunate to have survived the three and a half months in the mountains and jungles of New Britain, fortunate to have married the love of his life, and fortunate to have had a sense of humour and zest for life that helped him through it all. I’d tried too hard to stay alive, he said. You’re not going to waste it, are you? Read article in full: http://ow.ly/pFxQ50CcTLR #RemembranceDay #WeRememberThem

09.01.2022 Korea 1955. Pet dogs of 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), line up for anti-rabies injections. 33387 Corporal John Albert Caspar of Bendigo is injecting 'Rusty', who is being held by 27843 Private (Pte) Eric George Cole of Casino. Next in line with 'Phyllis' is 34294 Pte John Leo Gleeson of Warragul, 'Idewah' with 27673 Pte Barry William Horn of Croydon Parkand 'Lady' with 6628 Pte Keven Anderson Scott, of Launceston. Photographer: Donald Albert (Tim) M...eldrum. Image: MELJ0793 #PhotoOfTheWeek

08.01.2022 In their Words: John O'Halloran This Remembrance Day, as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we reflect on those who have died as a result of war, warlike operations, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. In their words is a collection of short films sharing personal stories of service and sacrifice from the front line and at home. ... www.awm.gov.au/intheirwords #IntheirWords #WeRememberThem #OurContinuingStory

07.01.2022 LIVE: World War II hero Edward 'Teddy' Sheean is being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. His family is being presented the VC by the governor-general in Canberra.

06.01.2022 In 1919 official war historian and Memorial founder Charles Bean sketched a design for the building he envisioned would become the Australian War Memorial. That design has been digitally created here for the first time. https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/art-of-nation

05.01.2022 We know that some of you out there are neglecting your razors in the name of raising money for a good cause, so we thought we'd bring you some MOtivational photos from our collection, to show you that competitive MO growing has been going on for decades. https://au.movember.com/ #MovemberMotivation #myAWM #Movember

04.01.2022 #Onthisday in 1951 the largest air-to-air battle fought by pilots of No 77 Squadron, RAAF, during the Korean war took place in the skies above Sunchon, North Korea. A little after 10 am on 1 December 1951, twelve Meteors led by Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Thornton were conducting a fighter sweep, flying at 19,000 feet when they were attacked by over 30 MiG-15 jet fighters above Sunchon. Attacking from a higher altitude, the MiG-15s scored immediate hits on the Australian figh...ters, causing the RAAF formation to take evasive action. Like dogfights of previous wars, the fighting devolved into a rolling melee of single Australian pilots pitted against two, three or more enemy aircraft. Though they displayed Chinese air force markings, the MiG-15s were flown by Soviet pilots, many of whom were veterans of the Second World War. Though officially denied by the Soviet government, it was common knowledge among United Nations airmen that Soviet pilots were flying combat operations in Korea. The battle lasted for only 10 minutes, but No. 77 Squadron had fared badly. Three Meteors had been shot down and all three pilots lost. Don Armit, Vance Drummond and Bruce Thomson had all been commissioned as provisional Pilot Officers the day before, and their failure to return cast a pall over the squadron. Drummond and Thomson were later confirmed as prisoners of war, both being captured after ejecting from their stricken planes. However, Don Armit was listed as missing, presumed killed. He is still listed as one of 43 Australians missing in action from the Korean War. Two MiG-15s were claimed to have been shot down by the Australians, but Soviet records later showed that no aircraft were lost during this encounter. This action, along with previous encounters between the Meteors and MiG-15s, served to highlight the total inferiority of the Meteor, as the older heavier airframe gave up speed, manoeuvrability and altitude against the modern, lighter, swept-wing Soviet fighter. As a result, No. 77 Squadron, RAAF, was reassigned to ground attack duties, to which the Meteor was more suited. Learn more about the pilots of No 77 Squadron RAAF in Korea: https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/86/Article-five Image: RAAF Pilot Officers Vance Drummond (left) and Bruce Thomson (right) at Freedom village in the blue chines prison uniforms they wore during their captivity in prisoner of war camps in North Korea. Panmunjom, North Korea 1-09-1953 JK0863

03.01.2022 "Anzac Biscuits" On Friday 13 November, on the grounds of the Australian War Memorial, ARIA nominated Canberra music teacher CJ Shaw performed his original song "Anzac Biscuits" with a choir of Palmerston District Primary School students. Voting for the ARIA awards closes on Wednesday 18 November. ... Voting information can be found at the ARIA website: https://www.aria.com.au/vote Palmerston District Primary School CJShawmusic

02.01.2022 AWM Object of the Week Fromelles was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought by Australians. Nearly 2000 died, with thousands more wounded or captured. Almost 90 years after the battle, this remarkably preserved Fremantle to Perth return train ticket was uncovered in a nearby mass grave. Its existence is haunting. Who took it to the other side of the world? Why was it so important that it was carried into battle? Whoever he was, he held hard to the promise of the return tick...et, but only the promise survived. #AWMobjects Accession number: REL44975.018 https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1282364 #ObjectoftheWeek #myAWM #AWMemorial

01.01.2022 Teddy Sheehan VC on permanent display at the Memorial The 101st Victoria Cross for Australia, posthumously awarded to Ordinary Seaman Edward Teddy Sheean VC, has gone on permanent display in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial. On 1 December the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) presented the insignia of the Victoria Cross for Australia to the Sheean family at a ceremony at Gov...ernment House. Sheean is the first member of the Royal Australian Navy to be honoured with a VC. The award is also the first to be retrospectively given to an Australian. Memorial Director Matt Anderson said the Sheean family’s donation of Ordinary Seaman Sheean’s medal group to the National Collection was a great honour. Teddy’s family has given Australia an extraordinary gift. We can now display permanently his Victoria Cross medal group so that generations to come can understand the incredible act of bravery and selflessness he exhibited in December 1942. On behalf of the staff and Council of the Australian War Memorial indeed, on behalf of all Australians who have or will visit the Memorial to understand the impact of war on Australians and our society the Sheean family has our deepest gratitude. We will take good care of Teddy’s VC, Mr Anderson said. Members of the Sheean family visited the Memorial this morning for a private viewing of the new display. Members of the public can visit the Hall of Valour by booking a free Galleries and Commemorative Area ticket. Register here: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit