This guide focuses on Australians serving in World War 1. It also includes some information relevant to Great Britain, other Commonwealth nations and other combatant nations. There is a section on nurses and women's war occupations.
Watch our short video about heroic pigeons who were used as messengers during World War I.
This is a guide to finding information on World War I and records on Australian service personnel. Personnel includes non-combatants such as doctors and nurses, journalists and photographers, who enlisted in the army, so army records are relevant to them too. This guide explains how to access these records online and in print sources.
Most records relate to the army, because the majority of Australians served in the army (the Australian Imperial Force or AIF). Australia during World War I had a small navy, which served under British command. The Australian Flying Corps was in its infancy, as there were no air battles before World War I.
Hence the focus is on Australian soldiers, with some information on British sources, as the Australian forces were under British command during World War I.
The National Archives of Australia holds the service records for all service personnel: army, navy and flying corps. Each service record has been digitised, so you can read it online. Click on the headings in this guide for more detail.
If you know which unit or units a soldier served in, you can research the battles or campaigns his unit served in. This guide will help you to find this information.
Searching the State Library catalogue on the Search & Discover page: the official catalogue subject heading for World War I is World War, 1914-1918 You can also use other terms such as World War One with good results. As we have so many resources on World War I, you need to add another term to give you more specific results, for example a topic, a campaign, battle or place name: examples are Australia, Somme, Egypt, medicine, nurses. You can also use the name of a well-known individual. as there is likely to be a book on them.
Another way to search the catalogue is to use the term World War One in your initial search. When the results are listed, select filters on the right hand side of the screen to refine your search. Filters include subject headings, resource type, author and creation date.
The catalogue record for each item gives you information about the publication and tells you where to find it in the library or online. Many pamphlets and pictures which are out of copyright have been digitised, so you can see them online. Other items are in books, journals or our manuscript and picture collections.
Librarians can help you with your searches.
We also have an online database called The First World War. It is listed on our databases page under History. It is available from home to Victorian registered members.
By using this guide, you should be able to research the following:
There is scope for much more detailed research to develop a very rich understanding of a soldier's war.
The World War I almanac by David R. Woodward contains a day-by-day chronology of the events of World War I, an A-to-Z biographical dictionary of the key figures and a comprehensive listing of vital statistics. Researchers will appreciate the maps and illustrations.
Almanac of World War I by David F. Burg and L. Edward Purcell provides a day-by-day account of the action on all fronts and of the events related to the conflict. It has topical biographical entries, illustrations and maps.
Australians returning from the trenches with their mascot. The War Budget, Sept. 7, 1916 [No page number]
Australian soldier in captured German front line trench on the Somme, showing German bombs in position for throwing. The War Budget, March 22, 1917 p 162.
