Find your military ancestors
What military records are available
Whether you’re looking for service records, embarkation rolls or detailed biographical data, this guide points you to books, databases, websites and microfilms that hold valuable information for major conflicts involving Australia, New Zealand and British defence forces.
Trace your First Nations ancestors military history
If you’re searching for records or information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family members military legacy, use our First Nations family history research guide.
Fairfax Corporation, Departing troops walking with their families down Macquarie Street, 1914, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162908974
Fairfax Corporation, Departing troops walking with their families down Macquarie Street, 1914, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162908974
Key sources
Start your research with foundational sources, or find resources for specific times, campaign or country of service.
Subscriptions and databases
To use our Ancestry or Findmypast subscriptions, you need to visit the Library in person. Find out more about how to access eResources.
Ancestry (Library edition) records include:
- New South Wales, Australia, Cowra Military Camps Personnel Photo Index, 1905-1970
Findmypast (World edition) has recordings including:
- Australasian Imperial Expeditionary Forces Roll Of Honour
- All Australia Memorial
- Australia’s Fighting Sons of the Empire (NSW – QLD)
- Australian Contingent
- Education Department War Service
- New South Wales Roll Of Honour
- New Zealand Division
- New Zealand War Medal Roll
- New Zealand Wars: Maori Campaigns
Books
- That elusive digger: tracing your Australian military ancestors
- Tracing your army ancestors
- A soldier in the family: a source book for Australian military genealogy: the first fleet to the Gulf War
- How to trace your military ancestors in Australia and New Zealand
- Digging for diggers: a guide to researching an Australian soldier of the Great War, 1914-1918
CD-ROM
You can access CD-ROMs at the Library by requesting them through the catalogue.
Family history ondisc includes the Australasian military history database (MIHILIST).
Research tip
For help locating records and information on Australians who served in the First World War, use our guide to Finding a soldier.
Subscription databases
To use Ancestry or Findmypast, you need to visit the Library in person.
- Ancestry (Library edition) has records including:
- ANZAC Memorial, 1914-1918
- Australia, WWI Service Records, 1914-1920
- Australia's Fighting Sons of The Empire. Portraits and Biographies of Australians in the Great War
- FindMyPast has records including:
- Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll 1914 – 1918
- Australian Imperial Force Embarkation Roll 1914-1918
- Queenslanders Who Fought in;Great War
- New Zealand World War 1 Soldiers
Find out more about how to access eResources.
Books
Websites
- National Archives of Australia World War 1 service records
- Australian War Memorial’s First World War Nominal Roll
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Anzac Portal, First to Fall
- The AIF Project’s Australian Anzacs in the Great War: provides details on the 330,000 men and women who served overseas in the (First) Australian Imperial Force
CD-ROM
You can access CD-ROMs at the Library by requesting them through the catalogue.
- RAAF World War 2 fatalities
- Australian Contingents to South Africa
Subscription databases
To use Findmypast, you need to visit the Library in person.
Findmypast has records including:
- Australian Contingents to South Africa
- New Zealand Boer War servicemen
- New Zealanders and The Boer War
Find out more about how to access eResources.
CD-ROM
You can access CD-ROMs at the Library by requesting them through the catalogue.
Books
Websites
- Oz-Boer database project’s Australians in the Boer War
- Australian War Memorial’s official records of the Australian military contingents to the war in South Africa, 1899-1902
Subscription databases
To use Findmypast, you need to visit the Library in person.
Findmypast has recordings including:
- British Garrison deserters in South Australia
- British Army Service Records 1760 – 1915
Find out more about how to access eResources.
Microfilm
You can access microfilm for free in our Newspapers and Family History Zone.
- The British Army in Australia 1788-1870 Index of personnel: this index shows the names and regiment(s) for each serving person. Use the regiment number to follow through a soldier's records in the AJCP WO12 Muster Books and Pay Lists.
- Redcoats Down Under 1788-1870: including 39th Dorset Regiment of Foot and 46th 5th Devonshire Regiment of Foot
- Muster Books and Pay Lists WO12 AJCP: to identify correct reel(s), use our AJCP handbook to the War Office.
Books
Where else to look
Find more resources and information to support your research from other institutions and organisations.
Military and defence service records
Military service records, including archival materials and other records about Australians and New Zealanders who served in World War 1 and the Boer War are held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA). Find out more about the NAA’s defence and war service records.
Defence service records set out the essentials of a person's service in the forces. They will tell you information like which unit or ship a person served. Information about these units, what they did and where, can often be found in unit records held by the Australian War Memorial (AWM) or in published sources. Visit the Australian War Memorial website.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) publishes nominal rolls for conflicts in which Australia has participated since Federation. These rolls list members of Australia's defence forces who served during a specific conflict. Search the DVA’s Nominal Rolls Portal.
Honours and awards
Service records also show any decorations received. You can read about campaign and service medal entitlements on the Department of Defence's Defence Honours and Awards site.
To find records of honours and awards made to Australians search the Australian Honours service on the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.
The records include the exact date, Gazette number and page number for announcements of the awards in both the London and Commonwealth Gazettes. Note that a complete citation was not usually published, only the name, rank and unit. A full citation may be in the service record. Go to the digitised London Gazette.
Biographical information
The AWM also holds a range of biographical including nominal commemorative and honour rolls, honours and awards, Australian Army war diaries, wounded missing and prisoner of war files and general information about Australian involvement in overseas conflict and peacekeeping. Visit the Australian War Memorial website.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission provides details of men and women from Commonwealth forces who died during the 2 world wars, as well as Commonwealth civilians who lost their lives due to enemy action in the Second World War. Go to the Debt of honour register.
Australian soldiers and the Australian Infantry Force ambulance at Australian headquarters, London, 1915, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-133844527
Australian soldiers and the Australian Infantry Force ambulance at Australian headquarters, London, 1915, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-133844527
Get help with your research
Our specialist staff can help you with your research, to locate resources and to use our microform and scanning equipment but they cannot undertake extensive or ongoing genealogical, historical or other research on your behalf.
Find out more in our Information and Research Policy.
Continue tracing your family history
Max Dupain, Card catalogue at National Library of Australia, 1968, nla.obj-144066439
Conor Ashleigh, Bridal couple Achol and Marial and their bridal party, Sydney, December, 2013, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-506867692