Big news from the Australian government is that it they have just announced that it digitise Australia’s World War Two records of service men and women, as part of a new program that is ‘focused on recognising the service of our veterans’.
In a joint release from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester, the pair said that the ‘digital records will make them easier to access so Australians can discover the as yet untold stories of their relatives and how they defended our nation during times of war’.
The digitised records will be freely available to all Australians, and will provide a ‘comprehensive source of information’ for students, journalists, authors, academics and families interested in knowing about the services of the Australian Defence Force.
The government also announced the expansion of the Saluting Their Service grants program by providing an extra $10 million in funding, so ‘local communities can honour the service and sacrifice of our veterans, with a particular focus on commemorating the Second World War and beyond’.
The maximum amount of funding for community grants will also be increased by 250% to ensure local communities can commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the second World War ‘appropriately’.
The release also announced the rollout of the second stage of the ANZAC 360 app, which will focus on key Second World War battles and campaigns in south-east Asia, using virtual reality and 360-degree drone technology, as well as undertaking scoping studies to develop a new ‘interpretive’ facility near the Bomona Commonwealth War Cemetery in Port Moresby and to replace ageing facilities at Sandakan Memorial Park in Malaysia.
Thank you so much as so many of us have lost documents via maybe floods, fire, lost people, family breakup , over the years that have gone by and now with the digital era ,interest has not waned, but is of interest to youngsters of today
What difference will these records have from the WWII service records which have been available at the National Archives for some years?
Peter, around 80% of the WWII records held at the NAA are not yet digitised yet. So if you have been accessing some already, great. But yes, they are likely to be the same.
Alona,
Although many of us family historians have accessed these service records through previous paid means, this new digitized program will mean easier and free access to all those who haven’t. My congratulations go to the Government for instigating this program. Now my only wish is for an extension of the Trove newspaper archives after 1954.