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Around 16,000 Australians volunteered to fight for Britain against the Dutch-Afrikaner, or Boer, settlers in South Africa from 1899 to 1902. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: P01065.001. Matthews, Australian Light Horse in Boer War uniform. ...
Songs in wartime reflect attitudes about Australia's participation in conflict and war—from the Sudan War in 1885 to the First Gulf War (1990–1991). Some of the most well-known and colourful examples of wartime songs lauding heroes come from ...
Ships wrecked in Australian waters during the Second World War profoundly effected the Australian people, both civilian and military. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: 304919. The first Australian warship to be lost in the Second World War w...
Patriotic music written in wartime has been used to express national pride, spread propaganda, encourage enlistment and motivate troops serving in Australia and on overseas duty. Until the First World War, patriotic music written for wars tended to dwell...
And nowhere is this more apparent than in the actions of our front-line troops—soldiers or nurses—whether in the trenches, as prisoners of war or on leave. The significance of sport for Australian soldiers, from the First World War through to...
Australian and American soldiers in a trench. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial. Left to right: Lt Norman Malcolm, 2 Pioneers; Sister Stella Malcom, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS); Lt Eric Malcolm, 3 Division Artillery; Staff Nurse Ed...
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. Commemorative services are held at dawn on 25 April, the time of the o...
Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: P01404.028. One of the most well-known Australian engagements of the Vietnam War was the Battle of Long Tan, 17-20 August 1966. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: COL/67/0140/VN. ...
Originally called Armistice Day, this day commemorated the end of the hostilities for the Great War (World War I), the signing of the armistice, which occurred on 11 November 1918 - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day was obser...
Image courtesy of Australian War Memorial: VIC1426. The involvement of Australian women as nurses in war began in 1898 with the formation of the Australian Nursing Service of New South Wales, from which sixty nurses served in The Boer War. According to th...
Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial. The involvement of Australian women in each war is closely connected to their role in society at different times, and the nature of each war. Australia has been involved in a number of wars including The Boer...
Image courtesy of the Migration Museum, History Trust of South Australia. The hundreds of thousands of people who arrived in Australia after the First World War greatly influenced Australia becoming a modern society. Image courtesy of the Australian War ...
Image courtesy of AAP Images. For many Australians, the experience of visiting a place where Australians died and suffered during war is a reminder of the real meaning of the day. Defence Minister Robert Hill and Captain Nick Berry during ANZAC day dawn ...
Until the Second World War, Australia was one of the world's leaders in aviation in terms of both air mileage and prominent aviation pioneers. Since the early development of powered flight in Australia in 1910, various air services have been established:...
Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial. The myth of the digger and the larrikin hero is an important part of the Australian experience of pastoralism, the goldfields, bushranging, shearing and droving. The slang term 'digger' re-surfaced during th...
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was as influential on Australian civil aviation as it was on early Australian aviation. Two former AFC officers, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, established what later became known as Qantas, with Fysh also supporting th...
Merchant vessels Barossa and Neptuna burning in Darwin Harbour near the jetty after receiving direct hits during the first Japanese air raid on 19 February 1942. During the Second World War, the Japanese flew 64 raids on Darwin and 33 raids on other targ...
Gp Capt Eaton Charles, CO RAAF Station Darwin. Image courtesy of the Charles Eaton Photographic Collection and Peter Dunn's Australia @ War. Eaton entered Australian aviation legend when commanding the air searches for two lost aircraft, the Kookaburra ...
Military bands have accompanied Australian ceremonies, parades, church services, mess dinners and performed at concerts on innumerable occasions since then. Band musicians and band music owe a great deal to Australia's Salvation Army. Other Australian p...
Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM is known as the founder of modern Australian dance. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman's foundation of the Australian Dance Theatre led to a flourishing of public programs and workshops in modern dance techniques and improvisation. The...
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