Official Histories, Rolls & Unit Diaries

Within the Memorial's collection, there are a number of standout items which hold a wealth of useful information for all types of research. These records hold in depth, often first-hand, accounts of the operations in which Australian have been involved.

Individual chapters and pages of these documents can be accessed via our search. Additionally, we have placed direct access to these documents here for those who wish to view the full document:

The Official Histories

Official Histories are commissioned by government as the national record of Australia’s involvement in particular conflicts. Often compiled from first hand accounts, unit diaries and a range of other reference data,  they are a detailed, chronological record of all services and theatres of conflict.

Unit & Commanders' War Diaries

Maintained by units on operations, these diaries contain detailed information on the activities in which a unit was engaged on a given date. If you are researching a person and you know which unit they served in, these diaries can potentially give you some insight into the nature of the service an individual undertook.

RAAF formation and unit records

These are the official records that record the daily and operational activities of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Navy Reports of Proceedings

These are the official record of activities of the Royal Australian Navy's commands, vessels, shore establishments, administrative authorities and installations.

Records of Charles Bean

Charles Bean was Australia's Official War Correspondent and later Official Historian for the First World War. Many of the items in these papers were written or maintained by Bean in his role as war correspondent, reporting events for the Australian public at the time. These papers were also referenced by Bean during development of the Official History of the First World War. Read more about the records of Charles Bean.

Indigenous Service in Australia's armed forces

A brief history on the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples written by military historian Dr Chris Clark with the assistance of a generous grant from the Gandevia Foundation.