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Military history

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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
Detail of the cover of book 'In defence of country : life stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander servicemen & women' which features a painting of a First Nations serviceman

Noah Riseman & ANU Press, In defence of country : life stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander servicemen & women (detail), 2016, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn6930656

First Nations military service resources

Our resources can help you find out about your family member’s service history.

Research guide
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
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 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
Collection guide
Hall Collection

Personal papers and about 600 books and pamphlets from 1900-1960 on international relations, political biography, migration and more with a focus on the Commonwealth and United States. 

Collection guide
Collection guide
Hertz Collection

Books, pamphlets, photographs, posters and a small number of maps relating to war and aviation.

Collection guide
Frank Hurley and Masly Williams looking towards Jerusalem

Frank Hurley, Frank Hurley and Maslyn Williams Looking Out Over the Kidron Valley Towards Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Palestine, 1940?, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151339245

Hurley Collection

Over 10,000 black and white negatives and colour transparencies, about 1000 exhibition prints, several photograph albums, a group of stereographs, plus maps, diaries and personal papers.

Collection guide
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies sits at a desk holding several pieces of paper. He is looking melancholic and stares off camera to the left. He is a middle-aged white man with blonde hair swept to one side. He wears a dark suit and tie with a dark tie. There is a black Bakelite telephone on the table in front of him

The Rt. Hon. RG Menzies PM of Australia broadcasting to the nation the news of the outbreak of war, 1939, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136636422

Internment, World War 2 (1939-45)

Module

This resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: History for Year 10 students. It engages students with a rich selection of sources and challenges them to draw their own conclusions about World War 2. Using the lens of internment, this resource looks at home front human stories, impacts of war and genocide, migration and multiculturalism.

Digital Classroom
A man wearing a lilac button down shirt and a blue and red checkered blazer while smiling at the camera

Dr Samuel White

Keeping the peace of the realm with Dr Samuel White

Dr Samuel White will discuss his recent Fellowship research focused on the historical use of military call-outs and the decision-making processes behind deploying troops in Australia.

Event
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
Collection guide
Osborne Collection

About 200 American books and a smaller number on the French Revolution and Napoleon, plus 15 letters by 18th- and 19th-century scientists and physicians.

Collection guide

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