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Military history

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A black and white aerial image of Charters Towers.

Charters Towers Replenishing Centre, 1952, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2909430463

Aerial photographs collection

Aerial photographs of Australia, the Australian Antarctic Territory and Papua New Guinea

Collection guide
Portrait of ANZAC soldier for Smith's Weekly, between 1919 and 1937

Frank Dunne and Smith's Weekly, Portrait of ANZAC soldier for Smith's Weekly, between 1919 and 1937, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-452465819

World War 1

Module

Explore a rich selection of sources and challenges them to draw their own conclusions about the role of media in World War 1.

Digital Classroom
Video
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, including one full page and a cartoon, about the Gamboa family

Album of newspaper cuttings relating to the Gamboa family from the Papers of the Gamboa family, 1949–99, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn997866

Gamboa: A family defined by race

Follow the story of Lorenzo Gamboa and his fight to return to his Australian-born wife and children after his deportation in 1946. 

Blog
A black-and-white photograph shows a group of soldiers marching down a street with rifles over their shoulders. They are accompanied by civilians, who walk arm-in-arm with the soldiers, smiling and engaging with the crowd. The street is busy with people, and buildings can be seen in the background.

Fairfax Corporation, Departing troops walking with their families down Macquarie Street, 1914, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162908974

Find your military ancestors

Trace the military history of your ancestors using resrouces and records from Australia, New Zealand and the British Army at the Library and beyond.

Research guide
Young man, maybe late teens, wearing a grey shirt with a 'Friends of the Earth' armband wearing a gas mask

Soc Hedditch, A youth wearing a gas mask and a Friends of the Earth armband demonstrates against French nuclear testing in the Pacific, Adelaide 1972, nla.obj-146561887

Anti-war protests

Use this guide to help find and access resources in our collection about the Nuclear Disarmament movement, protests against the Vietnam War and protests against the Iraq War.

Research guide
Man in military uniform with hat smiling

Harry Peters, soldier in the Third Employment Company, c. 1942

Dear Mutzi: Writing a life through letters, memories and imagination

Read about how author Tess Scholfield-Peters explored her grandfather's early life as a teenager fleeing Nazi Germany in her new book 'Dear Mutzi'.

Blog
A black and white image of two women. One is seated and the other is standing with her arm around the seated woman.

Students of Taisei Girls High School in Japan c.1944. Photo courtesy of Harue Goto.

Grief in World War II expressed in art and fashion with Dr Tets Kimura

Dr Tets Kimura presented a lecture on his 2023 National Library Fellowship research into how grief was experienced during the Asia-Pacific War in two different nations, Australia and Japan, and how it is identifiable in art and fashion.

Event
Video
Cover of the book 'Dear Mutzi'
Dear Mutzi

Tess Scholfield-Peters

Book
NLA Publishing book
Sepia toned photo of soldiers sitting in a trench writing letters

J.P. Campbell, Writing in the trenches, [Anzac soldiers sit in their shelters in the trench and write letters home, June? 1915], nla.obj-146168464

Letters to home from the First and Second World Wars

Take a look at some of the letters sent from overseas to friends and family back in Australia during the First and Second World Wars.

Blog
Welcome parade for Olympic team from Republic of China (Taiwan) Melbourne 1956.

Welcome parade for the Olympic team from the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Melbourne, 1956, courtesy Bruce Lew's family album.

Chinese diaspora in Cold War Australia with Dr Mei-fen Kuo

Dr Mei-fen Kuo presented a lecture on her 2023 National Library Fellowship research into our Chinese-language collections and how that has helped in rethinking the influence of the Cold War on the formation of contemporary Chinese Australian identities.

Event
A man wearing a black and grey checkered shirt sitting at a desk with a computer and several books resting on it. He is leaning on the desk, facing forward and giving the camera a small smile
The man behind the camera: Exploring the life of Ron Maslyn Williams

Hear from 2023 NLA Fellow Deane Williams about his time at the Library researching the life and career of Ron Maslyn Williams.

Blog
cover of book The Cambridge history of the First World War

J. M. Winter, The Cambridge history of the First World War / edited by Jay Winter and the Editorial Committee of the International Research Centre of the Historical de la Grande Guerre Cambridge University Press Cambridge ; New York 2014, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn6446952

First World War research guide

The National Library of Australia has extensive holdings of material concerning Australia's involvement in the First World War.

Research guide

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