War Memorials in Australia
Frequently Asked Questions
How many war
memorials are there in Australia?
When this
project commenced I read that there may be between 4,000 and 5,000 memorials in
Australia. That figure may have referred to outdoor memorials but by including
honour boards, plaques and anything else that can be considered a war memorial
that figure can now be seen as a low estimate. There are in excess of
6,200
memorials in the index to date and there are many more to be included.
I have no idea what the eventual total will be.
Who owns
all the war memorials?
Most monuments erected after
the Boer War and World War I were put up by local communities. Committees
were organised to raise funds, approve design and commission construction.
The Commonwealth and States did not provide any funding although some municipal
councils in Victoria did. The monuments were built on land provided by the
Shire, the State, the Commonwealth Government (in front of Post Offices etc.) or
by private individuals. Once the monument was dedicated and the cost paid
off the committees usually dissolved. No-one seemed to actually "own" the
monument itself other than the community at large. Various RSL sub-branches and
other organisations have taken on the duties of custodians but as some of these
lose members and dissolve the question of who is responsible for the upkeep of a
memorial sometimes becomes a problem. For memorials built in more recent
years the custody arrangements are more formal such as those memorials in
Canberra which are the responsibility of the National Capital Authority.
Who
decided which names would go on a particular memorial?
As stated above, the erection
of war memorials after World War I was nearly always a community effort. The way
in which names were gathered differed from place to place as did the criteria
for inclusion. Using Braidwood NSW as an example, soldiers who were born
in Braidwood, enlisted there or whose parents resided there at the outbreak of
war were eligible to have their names added to the honour roll. Sometimes names
were invited through newspaper articles or advertisements. In other cases
rolls were opened at the town hall and citizens were able to write in names of
relatives. There was sometimes uncertainty as to who was entitled to be
included and this could lead to confusion in later years when no other records
could be found in the district for a particular person named on the memorial.
Omissions also caused concern on occasion and there are numerous examples of
names that have been added at a later date, sometimes squeezed in. For
World War II and later wars there were more complete records for servicemen and
women and the process of collecting names was a bit easier.
Why do
some World War I memorials have the dates as 1914 - 1919 when the war ended in
1918?
Hostilities ended on 11
November 1918 when the Armistice came into force and many people saw this as the
end of the war. However it didn't officially cease until the Peace Treaty
Of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919. Some communities in Australia
used 1918 as the year the war ended and some used 1919.
Why isn't the
memorial in my town listed in your index?
The database has been built up from various sources as well as personal records.
There are gaps in the records consulted so far and I have not visited all
locations in any one district. Further, many memorials such as honour boards are
inside locked buildings such as halls and churches and I have not been able to
gain access. Consequently there are many omissions and I am anxious to
learn about any memorials so far not recorded. See
Contributions for guidance.
The
memorial in my town is listed in your index but there is no detailed
description.
Doing the detailed descriptions
takes a lot of time. Some memorials have hundreds of names on them and the
transcription has to be done from photographs. Some names and initials
(especially C and G) are hard to read and have to be checked against other
sources such as nominal rolls. I have a number of valued contributors who
send in details and I put them at the head of the work program. Those details I
have collected myself are put into the In-tray. The In-tray is now very
big but I will eventually get around to describing those memorials for which I
have details.
How do I
get from the index page to the detailed description page?
If the word 'View' appears
against Description on the index page, click on it and you will get the detailed
description page which has more information including inscriptions and names. If
'View' does not appear it means that the description has not yet been prepared.
You can also find which memorials have been described by clicking on the
appropriate state or territory on the Detailed
Descriptions contents page
My
relative should be listed on this memorial but he's not. Can you please arrange
for his name to be added?
No I cannot. This site
has no official standing and all it does is record exactly what is shown on the
memorial. If a name has been omitted or if it has been misspelt, the
matter should be taken up with the authority responsible for maintaining the
memorial which may be the Shire Council, an RSL Sub-Branch or some other body.
The only thing I can do to help is possibly identify the authority you should
contact.
I would
like to help by submitting contributions but how do I know which memorials you
want recorded?
Go to Search and enter the town
or suburb you are interested in. If your memorial doesn't come up on the
database I don't have any records at all and would welcome them. If a memorial
comes up but there is no photo I only have those details which are shown on the
record and would welcome photos and any additional info. If there is a
photo it is probable (but not certain) that I have necessary details. If
you want to do that particular memorial check with me by email to see what
details I need. See
Contributions for guidance including
Contributions Register.
What is
your postal address?
M. Southwell-Keely
PO Box 67
MITCHELL ACT 2911
My
assignment is due next week and I require the following information as soon as
possible.
You won't get it. This site has
no official standing and is not connected with any government department or
authority. It is not in any way associated with the Australian War
Memorial although it co-operates with and receives co-operation from that
institution. It doesn't receive any funding from anybody. The
reality is that it is maintained by one person who has other duties and
who has to find time to devote to recording and publishing details about war
memorials. I frequently receive requests for information, some of which,
to my mind, have only a tenuous connection to the subject matter of the website.
However I will do my best to answer all genuine requests even if it involves
more research on my part. Demands will be ignored.
What
time does the New Age Expo start in the Healesville Memorial Hall next Sunday?
I have no idea. I photographed the outside of the hall some years ago and
recorded it as a war memorial. I live in Canberra, 600 kilometres away. How could I possibly know
details of activities going on in the hall?
I am at a loss to understand why these sorts of queries are addressed to me when all I
have done is record the memorial. I also receive questions which are obviously
meant to be asked of the Australian War Memorial (AWM). As stated above,
this site is not in any way associated with the AWM and questions meant for them
should be directed to
http://www.awm.gov.au/request
Can you
please help me with the following request?
I will do my best. But
before you ask, is your request directly related to war memorials in Australia?
Have you tried Google?
I answer many questions just by entering them into a search engine, something
that anyone can do. Oh, and if I do do some research and help you by
answering your question it would be nice to receive a thank-you. Forty
percent of requesters don't bother.
I would
like to use some of the photos on your site.
Please email me specifying which
photos you wish to use and for what purpose. If I have copyright I will
reply agreeing to their use for non-commercial purposes but would appreciate
acknowledgement and a link if appropriate. If copyright rests with a
contributor I may have to seek their permission first. Please refer to
Copyright.
Will you
please link my site to yours?
Yes I will if it is appropriate
to the subject matter of my site. In return I would appreciate a
reciprocal link but again I am surprised by the number of people who don't
bother.
Is your
site mainly a genealogical one?
No but I realise that many, if
not most, visitors to the site are looking for names for genealogical purposes.
For that reason I strive to be as accurate as possible in transcribing names.
If you want more information about a particular person please ask and I may be
able to point you in the right direction such as the databases of the Australian
War Memorial or the National Archives of Australia or to a regional historical
society.
Why are
you doing this and how did you start?
I can't remember when I first
got interested in war memorials - I just always have been. It is the
notion of remembrance that appeals to me and the idea that we owe so much to the
people that the memorials honour. I also like them as objects, some of
them are beautiful and I enjoy looking at the statues. The idea of a book has
been in the back of my mind for ages but the difficulties are insurmountable.
The costs of publishing such a book, especially if it contained colour photos,
would be prohibitive. Moreover it would be out of date as soon as it was
printed because memorials are always being moved or added to and new memorials
are continually appearing. And then the Internet came along. Bingo!
Here was the answer and in 2000 I started the website. It takes a lot of
time and effort and without the unfailing support, encouragement and practical
assistance of my wife, I couldn't do it. It's lucky that we both enjoy
driving holidays so we combine the interest in memorials with other holiday
activities. Sometimes the holiday seems to consist of driving from one memorial
to the next but it still stays enjoyable and we both get a kick out of talking
to the people we meet as a result of our interest .
Do you receive
any funding?
Not a cent. I haven't
asked and I don't intend to unless the financial burden becomes too heavy.
It costs money to maintain this site but I have received mates' rates and other
invaluable assistance from Arthur Hutchcraft my original ISP who is
a Vietnam Veteran and strongly supportive.
Office PCs of Canberra
integrated the database and charged a discounted fee. I suspect they did
it for less than cost. A number of contributors have supplied CDs of
images, photographic prints or hard copy printouts at their own expense.
To all these people I give heartfelt thanks.
Email: Michael Southwell-Keely