The National Archives holds records of Australian servicemen and women from World War I.
Find service records for the following groups:
- First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF)
- Australian Flying Corps (AFC) – predecessor of the Royal Australian Air Force
- Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) – combined force sent to German New Guinea in August 1914
- Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (RANBT) – helped the landing of men and equipment from Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels
- Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS)
- Home or Depot units for people who served within Australia
- non-combatants such as artists, photographers, chaplains and historians
Rejected enlistments
- Applications to enlist in the AIF 1915-18 (series MT1486/1)
These are records for those individuals who applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force, and were either rejected, discharged while still in training, or went on to serve within Australia only, usually as depot troops or camp guards.
Images of servicemen
Our collection includes about 500 digital images of Australian World War I servicemen.
What’s in World War I service records?
World War I service records usually include:
- an attestation paper – completed on enlistment, listing next-of-kin, employment, marital status, age, place of birth and a physical description
- a service and casualty form – ‘Form B103’, showing movements and transfers between units, promotions and details of injuries and treatment
- military correspondence – between the Department of Defence and the soldier’s next-of-kin notifying of wounds or death, awards and medals and asking questions on the whereabouts of a service member
They don't contain:
- detailed information about a person's involvement in actions and battles
- day-by-day accounts of life in the services
