Thursday, April 17, 2025

Searching Military Records - Weblinks

Australian War Memorial at: https://www.awm.gov.au

Collection> Understanding the Collection. This has information on “Researching a Person” and “Researching a Unit” – which includes an explanation of the military structure of ranks.

 How to search the Australian War Memorial (AWM) at: https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search

Search various areas – All, Military events, Units, Library, People, Articles and (Memorials) Collections

 People search at: https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search/people

Embarkation Roll.

Embarkation roll record includes:

·         Conflict, Roll title – Battalion, Embarkation date, Embarkation port, Embarkation Ship

This lists personal information that includes:

·         Regimental number, Name, Rank, Age, Trade or calling, Married or single, Address, next of kin and address of next of kin, Religion, Date of joining, Rate of pay, Remarks (sometimes)

Roll of Honour

Names of over 103,000 members of the Australian armed forces who have died during or as a result of warlike service, non-warlike service and certain peacetime operations

o   Roll of honour database at: https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search/people?roll=Roll%20of%20Honour

 

First World War Nominal Rolls

 Nominal roll information includes:

·         Service number (Officers and nursing sisters were not allocated service numbers), Final rank

·         Surname, first name (including some but not all honours)

·         Unit of service at the time of death or at the end of the war

·         Date of enlistment,

·         Date of death or start date of non-effect


AIF Project at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html

Contains a lot of information about soldiers that served in WW1 – information is taken from various sources and is a great overview of a soldier’s history of involvement in the war.


 National Archives at:

http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/army-wwi.aspx

Search and view original war records related to personnel who fought in wars in the National Archives.

 Name Search

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx

Explore original government records about Australians and New Zealanders in World War I and the Boer War.


Commonwealth War Graves at: www.cwgc.org

This is main website for all CWGC cemeteries and burial location details.

Find Records TAB – Find War Dead at: https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/

Service number, Regiment, Date of death, Burial location, Country of Service and Additional information (That can include “Next of Kin” information).


South Australian Red Cross Records

South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau at: https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/

 What is the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau?

Records of the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau held in the collection of the State Library of South Australia (SLSA). From 1916 until 1919, the South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau (SARCIB) performed the service of undertaking research into 8,033 enquiries from family and friends of missing Australian Imperial Force (AIF) personnel fighting in World War 1.

This includes letters of enquiry from people in Australia about soldiers fighting overseas. Personal view in these letters about the war.


Trove at: www.trove.nla.gov.au

Image search. There are many war photos that can be searched for on TROVE . As TROVE has links to the State Libraries image collections, you can come across many great collections of military photographs held in each State.

Two South Australian photographs that photographed the Vietnam War were Geoffrey Barnes and Jean Debelle Lamensdorf. Their photographs can be found via TROVE but more records of their photographs  can be found on the individual SLSA website.


National Archives – Serviceman photos on Flickr

Images of World War I Australian servicemen

https://www.flickr.com/photos/national-archives-of-australia/collections/72157628184430675/


Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Anzac Portal at: www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au

Website contains information about the war as well as a list of education and community web resources. Links to: WW1 & WW2, Korean and Vietnam records.

Nominal Rolls on the DVA website at: https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/

Nominal Rolls for WWII, Korean War, Vietnamese War and First Gulf War. The Nominal Roll for WWII covers both soldiers who served overseas and personnel serving at home like support staff.


Australian Military Records on Ancestry Library Edition

You can access Ancestry from within the library using the following link. IN Library use ONLY from the Charles Sturt Digital Library page at: https://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/community/library/digital-library

 Not available externally.


British WW1 records

Ancestry UK – World War 1 records

Currently there are130 databases with UK military records and information on Ancestry Library Edition view these via Ancestry Library Edition.

The Great War at: http://www.greatwar.co.uk/

Educational resources and information about WW1. History of battles and detailed maps, cemetery locations.

Tracing your World War 1 Family History

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/research/family-history/tracing-ww1-family-history.htm

Service records

Information on finding service records for solders who served in WW1. Note: 40% of the British WW1 records survived were destroyed in a fire in WW2.

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/research/military-records/ww1-service-records.htm

Commonwealth War Graves

www.cwgc.org

This is main website for all CWGC cemeteries and burial location details for both British and Commonwealth graves.

British Army Service Records

Surviving Service Records (WO 363) and Service Records with Pension Records (WO 364) are available to the public to view in two ways:

They can be accessed on microfilm for free in person at the National Archives in Kew, Surrey, where the original records are stored. Website:  https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

 Search British WW2 records

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-army-soldiers-in-service-after-1918/

London Gazette (for events that occurred during the war)

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29328/page/10154

Reports of acts of bravery reported in the London Gazette during the war. The link above shows an example.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Military Genealogy books available on SA Libraries catalogue

 To search for genealogy books related to war Search for using the keywords listed below or click on the links below to search the library catalogue.

Soldiers -- Australia – Genealogy

Australia -- Armed Forces – Genealogy

Soldiers - Genealogy 

Military genealogy books in our library catalogue (list checked at Apr 2024)

Military research: getting the most out of your digger's military records / by Lieutenant Colonel Neil Smith (2018)

My proper name is Fred Arthur Taverner : an Anzac story / by Lois Taverner. (2019) 

Leane times : one family's transformation from Cornish farmers to Australian fighters / Wendy Frew (2018) 

Finding Joseph George Lodwick Gilbert : boundary rider and Australian light horseman / Glenda Couch-Keen (2018) 

The war to end war : tracing your Great War Australian military ancestors / Lieutenant Colonel Neil C Smith, AM. (2015) 

That elusive digger : tracing your Australian military ancestors / Lieutenant Colonel Neil C. Smith, AM. (2013)

Army service records of the First World War / William Spencer. (2001) 

A soldier in the family : a source book for Australian Military Genealogy /Box, Allan (1994)

How to trace your military ancestors in Australia and New Zealand / R.H. Montague (1989)

What's in a name : aliases of the Australian Military Forces 1914-1919 / Neil C. Smith.

Digging for diggers : a guide to researching an Australian soldier of the Great War, 1914-1918 / Graeme Hosken. (2002)

Anzacs and Ireland Kildea, Jeff

 Alphabetical index to photographic portraits of South Australian soldiers, sailors and nurses who took part in World War I [microfiche]Researching South Australian military ancestors / Graham Jaunay. (2004)

Finding the family redcoat : tracing your British military ancestors in Australia / Lieutenant Colonel Neil C. Smith, AM. (2013)

Tracing your service women ancestors : a guide for family historians / Mary Ingham. (2012)

Tracing your First World War ancestors Fowler, Simon. (2003)

 World War I army ancestry / Norman Holding ; revised and updated by Iain Swinnerton.
(2003)


Wednesday, April 9, 2025

List of Births, Deaths and Marriages websites to look at...

 

Below is a list of websites where you may be able to find information BDM records 

Births, Deaths and Marriages & Public Record websites

SA - Births, Deaths & Marriages at: https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/family-and-community/births-deaths-and-marriages/certificates

NSW - Births, Death & Marriages at : www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

State Archives NSW at: https://mhnsw.au/collections/state-archives-collection/

Victoria - Births, Deaths & Marriages at: https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/

Public Record Office of Victoria: https://prov.vic.gov.au/

WA - Births, Deaths & Marriages at: www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au

Searching Western Australian Index online: www.wa.gov.au/service/justice/civil-law/searching-family-history

QLD – Births, Deaths & Marriages at: https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/

Colonial Tasmanian Family Links database: http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=8

Tasmania Archives at: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/tasmanian-archives/


Newspapers Obituaries

Ryerson Newspaper Index at: http://ryersonindex.net/search.php