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Happy holidays from the Sir John Monash Centre team

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Posted on 5 December 2024

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News – At the Centre

Happy holidays from the Sir John Monash Centre team

December is here, and like each year, the end-of-year festivities are an opportunity for the Centre and its staff to take a...

By SJMC , December 5 2024

News – History

The Australian National Memorial during the Second World War

The signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918 heralded the end of what was known as the war to end all...

By SJMC , November 30 2024

News – Travel

The New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata

Just a hundred kilometres north-east of Villers-Bretonneux lies the fortified town of Le Quesnoy. The town may not be familiar to Australians,...

By SJMC , October 31 2024

News – History

Private Albert George Pegram and the Battle of Polygon Wood

In 1917, in the midst of the Third Battle of Ypres, troops of the Australian Imperial Force were engaged a few dozen...

By SJMC , October 31 2024

News – At the Centre

Look back on Summer 2024 at the Sir John Monash Centre

Once again this summer, the Sir John Monash Centre has welcomed many distinguished guests and held several interesting events. As the summer...

By SJMC , September 29 2024

News – History

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Sir John Monash Centre stands on the top of a hill, preceded by the Australian National Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux Military...

By SJMC , August 9 2024

News – History

The inter-allied games

In the aftermath of the First World War, as soldiers started to be demobilised, the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) decided to...

By SJMC , July 24 2024

Gallery – At the Centre

Photo Gallery: The Olympic Torch Relay at the Australian National Memorial

On 4 July, the 33rd leg of the Olympic Torch Relay visited the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery and the Australian National Memorial. Four...

By SJMC , July 23 2024

News – At the Centre

Some special guests in June at the SJMC

At the beginning of June, the Sir John Monash Centre was delighted to welcome His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC...

By SJMC , July 11 2024

News – At the Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre welcomes its new Director, Ben Daetwyler

Ben Daetwyler has been appointed by the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs as the new Director of the Sir John Monash Centre....

By SJMC , June 23 2024

News – Travel

A Bailey Bridge and a Memorial Garden in Amiens

On 24 April 2024, to coincide with Anzac Day, the city of Amiens inaugurated a Bailey bridge designed to share the memory...

By SJMC , May 18 2024

News – At the Centre

The Sadlier Stokes Prize 2024

The 36th edition of the Sadlier Stokes Prize was held this year. Each year, the prize, named in honour of Lieutenant Clifford...

By SJMC , April 16 2024

News – History

Families at War:
the Wallach Brothers

During the First World War, almost 330,000 Australians enlisted to serve thousands of miles away from home. Whole communities and families were...

By SJMC , March 12 2024

News – At the Centre

What happens during closure?

The Sir John Monash Centre recently closed to the public for its annual maintenance. This is an important time in the life...

By SJMC , February 22 2024

News – At the Centre

A look back on 2023 at the Sir John Monash Centre

2023 has been busy with visitors and events, from the Anzac Day Dawn Service to the European Heritage Days, and including the...

By SJMC , December 15 2023

News – History

Aussie: the Australian Soldiers' Magazine

Life in the trenches was challenging in the First World War. Faced with the prospect of the next assault, soldiers had to...

By SJMC , November 30 2023

News – At the Centre

Schools at the Sir John Monash Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre attracts many visitors each year, including school groups from the region and other areas of France or...

By SJMC , October 21 2023

News – At the Centre

September 2023 Events at the Sir John Monash Centre

With the start of the new French school year, the Rugby World Cup and the European Heritage Days, the Sir John Monash...

By SJMC , September 27 2023

News – History

How the ANZAC soldiers saved French Rugby

Rugby is a unifying sport, bringing many players and supporters together from around the world. The Rugby World Cup, which is being...

By SJMC , September 25 2023

News – At the Centre

In the Scrum: Rugby during the First World War

With the Rugby World Cup France 2023 fast approaching, the Sir John Monash Centre recently opened a temporary exhibition to share the...

By SJMC , August 25 2023

News – At the Centre

Take a break at the SJMC café

The SJMC café offers a comfortable and relaxing space to take a break during your visit of the Sir John Monash Centre....

By SJMC , August 17 2023

News – History

Australian soldiers identified in Fromelles

In 2009, the remains of 250 Commonwealth soldiers were recovered from a mass grave near Pheasant Wood in Fromelles, buried after the...

By SJMC Author, July 28 2023

News – Travel

Remembering the Battle of the Somme

The 1 July 2023 marked the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. As every year, hundreds of...

By SJMC Author, July 25 2023

News – History

Amiens Cathedral

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame d’Amiens (Our Lady of Amiens) is one of the most beautiful and majestic buildings of the region.

By SJMC Author, June 21 2023

News – At the Centre

Photo gallery: The 2023 Dawn Service at the Australian National Memorial.

On 25 April 2023, an Anzac Day Dawn Service was held at the Australian National Memorial, marking the 108th anniversary of the...

By SJMC Author, May 30 2023

News – At the Centre

A look back on the weekend of 13-14 May 2023

The weekend of 13-14 May at the Centre was rich in events, thanks to our partners and visitors: here is a look...

By SJMC Author, May 17 2023

News – At the Centre

Sadlier Stokes 2023: The 'Digger's Den' and 'News Bulletin, 21 April 1917' projects of the Alfred Kastler high school

Among the three projects chosen for the 2023 edition of the Sadlier Stokes prize, the Sir John Monash Centre would like to...

By SJMC Author, April 30 2023

News – At the Centre

Sadlier Stokes 2023 : The 'Letter' project of the Léon Dautrement middle school

Among the three projects chosen for the 2023 edition of the Sadlier Stokes prize, the Sir John Monash Centre would like to...

By SJMC Author, April 30 2023

News – At the Centre

Sadlier Stokes 2023: The 'Crossed Destinies' project of the Collège des Bourgognes middle school

Among the three projects chosen for the 2023 edition of the Sadlier Stokes prize, the Sir John Monash Centre would like to...

By SJMC Author, April 30 2023

News – At the Centre

Australian Members of Parliament visit the Western Front

The Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the European Parliament and Institutions met with their Belgian and European counterparts during a trip to Europe....

By SJMC , December 19 2022

News – History

Private James Dillon

In September 2022, a discovery was made by the director of the Vignacourt 14-18 Interpretive Centre, Valérie Vasseur.

By SJMC , October 29 2022

News – At the Centre

Watch the conference: Montbrehain, the Australian Infantry’s last battle of the First World War

The conference given by Peter Smith, former member of the Royal Marines commando and independent local battlefield guide is now available on...

By SJMC , September 30 2022

News – History

Private Allan Edward Kennedy

On 13 September, the Jean and Denise Letaille – Bullecourt 1917 Museum received the donation of the identification tag of Australian soldier,...

By SJMC , September 30 2022

News – History

Photo Gallery: Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme

On the 1st of July we remembered those who served on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme.

By SJMC , July 29 2022

News – At the Centre

Photo gallery: European Long Night of Museums

On Saturday 14 May 2022, the Sir John Monash Centre invited you to an exceptional evening for the European Long Night of...

By SJMC , June 28 2022

News – At the Centre

Sadlier Stokes Prize - The 2022 winners

On 25 April 2022, Her Excellency Mrs Gillian Bird, Australian Ambassador to France, presented the 33rd Sadlier Stokes Prize on Anzac Day....

By SJMC , June 15 2022

News – Travel

Come by bicycle

The Sir John Monash Centre is part of the Accueil Vélo network. The initiative, introduced by Somme Tourisme in the region, guarantees...

By SJMC , June 1 2022

News – At the Centre

PHOTO GALLERY: ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MEMORIAL

This year, French and Australian families attended the Anzac Day Commemorative Service at the Australian National Memorial to acknowledge the legacy of the...

By SJMC , April 27 2022

News – At the Centre

Receive a letter from French communities on Anzac Day

The Val de Somme Tourist Office is organising a special activity for Anzac Day, to commemorate the service of Australians during the...

By SJMC , March 22 2022

News – At the Centre

Australia Day

Australia Day is an opportunity for all Australians to remember our history, and to remember the men, women and events that have...

By SJMC , January 27 2022

News – At the Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre offers a 360-degree panoramic tour

An online panoramic tour to prepare for a future visit in 2022.

By SJMC , December 21 2021

News – At the Centre

Interview with Rebecca Doyle, director of the Sir John Monash Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre Director, Rebecca Doyle, had the pleasure of featuring on the Thanks For Your Service podcast this month...

By SJMC , December 19 2021

News – At the Centre

France honours Caroline Bartlett, inaugural Director of the Sir John Monash Centre

Caroline Bartlett, inaugural Director of the Sir John Monash Centre, has been invested as a Knight of the French National Order of...

By SJMC , December 19 2021

News – History

Australian soldiers who died after the Armistice

Watch the latest online conference hosted at the Sir John Monash Centre and discover the stories of the Australian soldiers who died...

By SJMC , November 27 2021

News – At the Centre

Discover the Sir John Monash Centre's new activities for schools

From October 2021, the Sir John Monash Centre will offer all school groups the opportunity to enrich and enhance the traditional visit...

By SJMC , September 27 2021

News – At the Centre

Sir John Monash Centre has won two architectural awards

The Sir John Monash Centre by Cox Architecture with Williams, Abrahams and Lampros won two awards from the International Chapter of the...

By SJMC Author, July 30 2021

News – At the Centre

Inauguration of the
Patrick Simon AO Room

On 2 July 2021, the multi-purpose room of the Sir John Monash Centre was renamed in honour of Dr. Patrick Simon AO,...

By SJMC Author, July 30 2021

News – At the Centre

Sadlier Stokes Award
2021 Winners

In February 2021, the Sir John Monash Centre and the Australian Embassy announced the launch of the 32nd Sadlier Stokes Prize for...

By SJMC Author, July 15 2021

News – At the Centre

Gillian Bird, Australian Ambassador to France, visits the Sir John Monash Centre

On the eve of Anzac Day, Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird, visited the Sir John Monash Centre.

By SJMC Author, April 27 2021

News – History

The service of Australian troops commemorated in northern France on Anzac Day

This month is special for the French-Australian community as it commemorates the engagement of Australian troops on the Western Front during the...

By SJMC Author, April 27 2021

News – At the Centre

Digger Quest

The Sir John Monash Centre is excited to introduce Digger Quest, our newest children’s app, which is available to all young visitors,...

By SJMC Author, April 13 2021

News – At the Centre

Anzac Day at home

In Villers-Bretonneux and the surrounding area, the month of April has special meaning. Each year, the communities of the district prepare to...

By SJMC Author, March 31 2021

News – History

Australia Day during the First World War

The idea of a national day called Australia Day dates back to the engagement of Australian troops in the First World War,...

By SJMC Author, January 23 2021

News – At the Centre

Unveiling a new Chapter at the Sir John Monash Centre

Caroline Bartlett’s departure marks the end of a chapter in the history of the Centre, but also the beginning of a new...

By SJMC Author, December 19 2020

News – At the Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre is your choice

2020 was a difficult and emotional year for everyone. Every day, the staff of the Sir John Monash Centre make every effort...

By SJMC Author, December 19 2020

News – History

James and Charles Stokes, the brotherly bond immortalised for all eternity

The village of Vignacourt, to the North of Amiens, was the site of an astonishing and moving discovery in 2011 when photographic...

By SJMC Author, October 1 2020

News – At the Centre

Lamington time at the centre

If there’s one iconic Australian sweet treat that rivals the popularity of the Anzac biscuit, it’s the lamington – pieces of sponge...

By DVA Author, August 15 2020

News – History

The first known Australian to die in France, on the Western Front during the First World War

A number of Australian-born soldiers serving in the British Expeditionary Force were sent to France in August 1914 and died in the...

By SJMC Author, December 3 2019

News – Travel

Christmas markets in France

Christmas is a magical time of year in France, when markets known in French as Marchés de Noël add a sense of...

By DVA Author, November 24 2019

News – Travel

The CWGC Experience

The CWGC Experience is a unique visitor attraction that will shine a light on the work of the remarkable organisation at the...

By SJMC Author, August 28 2019

News – Travel

A monument of gratitude

In the heart of the Somme Valley, surrounded by ponds and wetlands, a tiny village watches over Australia’s fallen soldiers.

By DVA Author, April 24 2019

News – At the Centre

Voices from the past

A box of Anzac letters, diaries and photos has illuminated the experiences of ordinary Australians who served in the First World War.

By DVA Author, April 24 2019

News – History

The Australian aftermath of Villers-Bretonneux

This house in Melbourne stands testimony to the love and strength of one woman who kept her family home together after her...

By DVA Author, December 18 2018

News – History

War orphans who came to Australia

‘The dark clouds returned and gathered about the boy. His eyes grew distant, and he began to tremble. He heard not only...

By DVA Author, November 9 2018

News – History

Centenary of the Armistice in Australia and France

The Centenary of the Armistice in the First World War will be commemorated across Australia on Sunday 11 November with the customary...

By DVA Author, November 9 2018

News – History

Peronne

Peronne, much like nearby Mont St. Quentin, which was captured at the end of August and beginning of September 1918, was a...

By DVA author, August 31 2018

News – History

Mont St. Quentin

“All knew the Mount to be a famous fortress of the Western Front, and as the hour for the barrage, 5 o’clock,...

By DVA author, August 30 2018

News – History

Bush trained nurses go to war

Scratch the surface of Yackandandah’s First World War Memorial and out flow the stories of nurses from the bush who went to...

By DVA author, August 27 2018

News – Travel

Visit Péronne and Mont St Quentin

The small town of Péronne, located 126 kilometres from Paris, is not unaccustomed to the devastations of war. Since the Vikings, the...

By DVA author, August 25 2018

News – History

A service family: the Christensens

The lush, tropical landscape of south-eastern Queensland must have seemed a world away from her homeland for 28 year old Ernestine Julianne...

By DVA author, August 23 2018

News – History

Chuignes (August 1918)

“The slaughter of the enemy in the tangled valleys was considerable, for our Infantry are always vigorous bayonet fighters. They received much...

By DVA author, August 21 2018

News – History

Arthur Streeton - war artist

One of Australia’s greatest landscape artists, Sir Arthur Streeton, was appointed an official war artist by the Commonwealth Government in 1918.

By DVA author, August 20 2018

News – History

Unsung heroes on the medical front

On the Western Front, medicine became an integral feature of military planning, with both sides developing refined systems for evacuating and treating...

By DVA author, August 15 2018

News – At the Centre

Sir John Monash honoured in bronze

Visitors to the Sir John Monash Centre will see images of Sir John Monash on one of the many interactive media screens...

By DVA author, August 13 2018

News – History

The Battle of Amiens

“Everything was affected by the fearful impression that the fire-vomiting iron dragons had made on artillery and infantry. A true tank-panic…, and,...

By DVA author, August 8 2018

News – History

Pozières and Mouquet Farm

On returning to the 11th Battalion’s aid post early in the morning, Albert Coates discovered that a shell had killed all the...

By DVA author, August 4 2018

News – At the Centre

A First World War centre designed for all ages

The Sir John Monash Centre, Australia’s new interpretive centre on the former Western Front battlefields of the First World War, has been...

By DVA author, August 1 2018

News – History

Passchendaele

“I died in hell – (They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight, and I was hobbling back; and then a shell...

By DVA author, July 31 2018

News – Travel

Corbie

Corbie is an ancient town with a fascinating history, a friendly atmosphere and good rail connections to Paris and Amiens.

By DVA author, July 25 2018

News – History

The war in colour: Honorary Lieutenant Harold Septimus Power

Harold Septimus Power was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1877. After gold was discovered near the town in 1861 its population...

By DVA author, July 23 2018

News – History

Australian Women artists on the Western Front

During the First World War, no women were granted commissions as Australian official war artists, but that didn’t stop some female artists...

By DVA author, July 21 2018

News – History

Fromelles - ‘Australia’s worst 24 hours’

“The slaughter and confusion being worse than ever, we decided to… do something. Getting over the parapet we found No-Man’s Land a...

By DVA author, July 19 2018

News – History

Rachael Pratt

Shrapnel tore into Rachael Pratt’s shoulder and lung when a bomb from a German aircraft hit a casualty clearing station in France...

By DVA author, July 16 2018

News – History

How did soldiers get to the Western Front?

During the First World War, the Australian Government requisitioned dozens of merchant ships from commercial companies to use them as troopships.

By DVA author, July 14 2018

News – History

Major General William Glasgow

Australians were incredibly proud of their soldiers’ actions at Villers-Bretonneux but none more so than Major General William Glasgow, the grazier and grocer...

By DVA author, July 11 2018

News – History

Sergeant Nicolas Rodakis ‘Great bravery and dash’

Greek-born Nicolas Rodakis started work as a ship’s fireman while still a teenager. His seafaring job took him to many countries, including...

By DVA author, July 9 2018

News – Travel

Arras

Arras is one of the jewels of northern France, a cultured city of 120,000 people, with 2,000 years of history, a rich...

By DVA author, July 7 2018

News – History

Australians on the front foot at Le Hamel

The Battle of Le Hamel on July 4, 1918, is famous for a series of firsts but it almost didn’t go ahead.

By DVA author, July 2 2018

News – History

Australian Prisoners of War

When enlisting, few soldiers, sailors and aircrew would ever expect to become a prisoner and spend the war at the whim of...

By DVA author, June 30 2018

News – History

Soldier Profile: Martin O’Connor

Private Martin O’Connor was accustomed to hard work – he was a second-generation miner from Queensland – but nothing could prepare him...

By DVA author, June 28 2018

News – Travel

Historic château opens to the public

Château de Saint-Gratien, which was used by General John Monash as his headquarters in 1918, will open to the public next month...

By DVA author, June 25 2018

News – Travel

Bruges

One hour’s drive from Ypres in Flanders Fields is the beautiful city of Bruges. Officially classified as a UNESCO World Heritage City,...

By DVA author, June 23 2018

News – History

Innovation at war

War has always driven innovation and technological advances. Over thousands of years the weapons that people carried into battle have evolved, changing...

By DVA author, June 21 2018

News – History

Just Ask: Western Front descendant pieces together Dad’s military history

After the First World War, it was customary not to talk about the war. People tended to ‘broadbrush’ their experiences of the...

By DVA author, June 20 2018

News – History

Inspirational 'Rusty' Ruthven

Collingwood-born Bill ‘Rusty’ Ruthven was at the forefront when Australian 2nd Division troops successfully attacked German strongpoints near the Somme village of...

By DVA author, June 18 2018

News – At the Centre

Sustainability at the Sir John Monash Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre has combined a range of environmentally-friendly design solutions to help reduce its energy consumption and operating costs.

By DVA author, June 16 2018

News – History

Art prize honours Western Front bombardier

Thousands of Australians would know the art of Napier Waller, the bombardier who lost his right arm at Bullecourt in 1917 but...

By DVA author, June 11 2018

News – History

The Battle of Messines

‘They made many fruitless attempts to embrace us – I have never seen men so demoralised’ – Lieutenant Garrard, 40th Battalion, ‘schoolmaster...

By DVA author, June 7 2018

News – History

Wellington Quarry

Military tunnels are often associated with covert explosions under enemy lines but the Wellington Quarry at Arras housed up to 20,000 Allied...

By DVA author, June 6 2018

News – History

The second chance soldier

The beginning of Maurice Buckley’s military service was quite the anticlimax. He enlisted in the 13th Light Horse Regiment a week before...

By DVA author, June 4 2018

News – History

Just Ask: Veterans’ volunteer learns more about her family connection to the Western Front

It’s never too late to start asking questions about a military ancestor. Veterans’ volunteer Maureen Sargent thought she had most of the...

By DVA author, June 4 2018

News – Travel

Ypres: An ideal base for explorers

Ypres is an ideal base for travellers exploring the Australian Remembrance Trail.

By DVA author, June 2 2018

News – At the Centre

Photo gallery: the Official Opening of the Sir John Monash Centre

By DVA author, June 1 2018

News – At the Centre

Preparing for your visit

The Sir John Monash Centre has opened to the public and the feedback from visitors is overwhelmingly positive.

By DVA author, June 1 2018

News – History

What training did soldiers receive?

Training had two main purposes in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during its time on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918.

By DVA author, May 26 2018

News – Travel

Cycling in Flanders

Belgium is a home of cycling, and its flat terrain, beautiful scenery and picturesque villages are a paradise for cycling enthusiasts.

By DVA author, May 23 2018

News – Travel

Cruising the Somme

The First World War was fought on both sides of the River Somme and today one of the best ways to slowly...

By DVA author, May 21 2018

News – At the Centre

Documentary wins Sadlier Stokes Prize

A class of nine and ten-year-olds in Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France has won the 2018 Sadlier-Stokes Prize, for a documentary commemorating events...

By DVA author, May 18 2018

News – History

The digger who stayed

When the Armistice was declared, most Australian service men and women couldn’t wait to get home. One exception was a gunner from...

By DVA author, May 16 2018

News – History

The devastated lands

For four long years, Flanders Fields in Belgium was a place of unprecedented carnage. When peace was finally restored on 11 November...

By DVA author, May 16 2018

News – History

Reporting from the Western Front

How did news get from the frontlines of Belgium and France to newspapers on Australian breakfast tables?

By DVA author, May 14 2018

News – History

For the love of God

If you were an Australian soldier, far from home during wartime, what would you keep in your pocket? A photograph of your...

By DVA author, May 12 2018

News – History

Food in the field: Iron Rations

If a soldier entered enemy territory or was stuck in No Man’s Land, a well packed kit could mean the difference between...

By DVA author, May 7 2018

News – History

Bleuets for remembrance in France

In Australia and much of the former British Empire, the flower of remembrance is the poppy, but in France it is the...

By DVA author, May 5 2018

News – History

The First and Second Battles of Bullecourt

Bullecourt is one of the lesser known battlefields of the Western Front, yet it was a significant campaign for the Australian Imperial...

By DVA author, May 3 2018

News – Travel

Lille – a gateway to the Western Front

If you are looking for a base while exploring First World War historical sites in France and Belgium, Lille is a fantastic...

By DVA author, April 30 2018

News – History

The unstoppable 'Fats' McCarthy

Lieutenant Lawrence Dominic ‘Fats’ McCarthy was awarded the Victoria Cross for a mind-boggling attack on a German line west of Vermandovillers in...

By DVA author, April 28 2018

News – At the Centre

Thousands gather for Anzac Day

Thousands of people from throughout the world gathered at the Australian National Memorial on Anzac Day to honour Australians who served on...

By DVA author, April 25 2018

News – At the Centre

Sir John Monash Centre open to the public

Dignitaries and descendants of First World War soldiers converged just outside the small French town of Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April for the...

By DVA author, April 25 2018

News – History

The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

“Perhaps the greatest individual feat of the war – the successful counter-attack by night across unknown and difficult ground, at a few...

By DVA author, April 24 2018

News – Travel

The Australian Remembrance Trail along the Western Front: A Traveller’s Guide

Travelling along the Australian Remembrance Trail is an increasingly popular way of visiting the former Western Front and now a guide has...

By DVA author, April 24 2018

News – At the Centre

Australian prize for French students

This year’s Anzac Day commemorative activities in Villers-Bretonneux will again include presentation of the Sadlier-Stokes Prize which symbolises the historical bonds between...

By DVA author, April 21 2018

News – History

Anzac biscuits

For more than a century, Anzac Biscuits have been associated with the First World War and the national day remembering the Australian...

By DVA author, April 18 2018

News – At the Centre

Sounds of the Sir John Monash Centre

Sound effects have been used extensively throughout the Centre to create a compelling sense of reality within scenes.

By DVA author, April 16 2018

News – Travel

Dig deeper into the history of Flanders Fields

Australians travelling to Belgium in the last year of the Anzac Centenary (2018) have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in an archaeological...

By DVA author, April 14 2018

News – History

The Battle of Hazebrouck

“The Germans were already shelling the village, and it was pitiful to see the old French men and women, who had evidently...

By DVA author, April 12 2018

News – History

Homecoming after the war

Over one hundred years ago Australia established the Repatriation Department to undertake the massive task of ‘restoring men to health’ after the...

By DVA author, April 8 2018

News – History

Recollections from an Australian in France, 1938

In 1938, Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Jacob was invited to represent Australia’s returned servicemen and women at the unveiling of the Australian National Memorial...

By DVA author, April 7 2018

News – Travel

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Many people do not realise the magnitude of the Western Front battles until they see the rows and rows of headstones commemorating...

By DVA author, April 4 2018

News – At the Centre

Honouring their ancestors

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that the following page may contain images of deceased persons which may cause sadness...

By DVA author, April 2 2018

News – At the Centre

Opening of the Sir John Monash Centre

The Sir John Monash Centre will officially open on 24 April 2018, honouring more than 295,000 Australians who served on the Western...

By DVA author, April 1 2018

News – History

‘Pompey’ Elliott: Man of Letters

Brigadier General Harold ‘Pompey’ Elliott wrote hundreds of candid letters to his wife Kate from 1914 to 1919 – and in all...

By DVA author, March 31 2018

News – History

Dernancourt: ‘A desperate defensive battle’

“The dead are lying thick out in front of the embankment and they’ll be thicker soon poor wretches. The Grim Reaper has...

By DVA author, March 28 2018

News – Travel

Amiens, Queensland, Australia

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Queensland, Australia there is a region that could be mistaken for the Somme.

By DVA author, March 24 2018

News – At the Centre

Australian timbers in chevron wall

Chevrons have been used by the military for centuries, symbolising rank, length of service or good conduct. For Australians on the Western...

By DVA author, March 21 2018

News – Travel

Art installation to remember the 600,000 killed in Belgium

Flanders Fields will soon be home to a new art installation comprised of 600,000 sculptures – one for each of the lives...

By DVA author, March 19 2018

News – History

Hero of Jacka's mob

At the 1916 Battle of Pozieres, Albert Jacka won the Military Cross for recapturing a section of trench, freeing a group of...

By DVA author, March 17 2018

News – At the Centre

The Vintage Aviator

Telling the story of the Australian Flying Corps led the Sir John Monash Centre’s project team to New Zealand where film director...

By DVA author, March 14 2018

News – Travel

Albert: A base for exploring the Somme

Albert is a great base for exploring the Somme. Thiepval, Pozières, the Lochnagar crater, the Ulster Tower and the Newfoundland Park are...

By DVA author, March 12 2018

News – History

Sportsmen take up the fight

Today’s sports coaches risk criticism if they equate sport with sacrifice in war, yet 100 years ago recruiting campaigns actively linked the...

By DVA author, March 10 2018

News – At the Centre

Music from 1938 features at opening

A musical score written for the dedication of the Australian National Memorial 80 years ago will be performed at the opening of...

By DVA author, March 7 2018

News – History

The German Spring Offensive - 'The Kaiser's Battle’

‘…the infantry attack on both British armies had gone through the outposts and into the main battle zone. The overextended Fifth Army...

By DVA author, March 5 2018

News – History

Wartime advancements now commonplace

War produced new circumstances and technology that was used in combat and then found other purposes in peacetime.

By DVA author, March 3 2018

News – History

The Lost Diggers of Vignacourt

A French couple who turned their attic into a photo studio during the First World War have provided Australians with a rich...

By DVA author, March 1 2018

News – History

Mad Harry led from the front

Australia’s most decorated soldier Harry Murray joined the AIF in 1914 as a private and ended the war a lieutenant-colonel commanding a...

By DVA author, February 28 2018

News – Travel

World Heritage listed belfries

Visit just about any town along the Western Front battlefields of the First World War and there will usually be an ornate...

By DVA author, February 26 2018

News – History

The importance of war memorials

Almost every community in Australia has a war memorial—a testament to the service, sacrifice and loss from a century of service.

By DVA author, February 24 2018

News – History

Tea, coffee and cocoa

‘We desire to acknowledge our debt to the Australian Comforts Fund. Their soup kitchen was the goal to which even the weariest...

By DVA author, February 21 2018

News – History

Writers at war

For all its horrors, the First World War captured the literary imagination, inspiring some of the 20th century’s greatest poetry and fiction.

By DVA author, February 19 2018

News – Travel

The most beautiful villages of northern France

France is renowned for its scenic villages and some of the most beautiful are in the north, near the Sir John Monash...

By DVA author, February 17 2018

News – History

Trench humour

Humour provided a safety valve for Australian soldiers confined to the trenches during the First World War.

By DVA author, February 14 2018

News – History

Wartime entertainment

On the Western Front, soldiers had to stand in trenches for hours on end, ever vigilant for an attack, not allowed to...

By DVA author, February 10 2018

News – History

The Australian Flying Corps

Australia’s airmen played a crucial role on the Western Front, flying reconnaissance and observation missions, and destroying enemy aircraft.

By DVA author, February 7 2018

News – At the Centre

Hollywood comes to the Sir John Monash Centre

A key challenge in designing the Sir John Monash Centre was a rethinking of traditional museum and interpretative approaches to deliver a...

By DVA author, February 5 2018

News – History

Australian women on the Western Front

Official histories of women in the First World War tend to focus on overseas nursing and charitable activities on the home front,...

By DVA author, February 3 2018

News – History

Just ask: War historian discovers a personal past

This year, as Australia commemorates the centenary of the last significant battles on the Western Front and the Armistice of 1918, Australians...

By DVA author, February 1 2018

News – Travel

Château stays in France

A visit to France is not complete without a stay in a château. These palaces, grand mansions and former fortresses were built...

By DVA Author, January 29 2018

News – History

The other Australia Day

Australia Day (26 January) is the official National Day of Australia, observed with public and family events, official community awards and citizenship...

By DVA Author, January 25 2018

News – At the Centre

Glass sculpture captures darkness and light

As fabricators put the finishing touches on the Sir John Monash Centre, a glass artwork is making its way to France for...

By DVA Author, January 24 2018

News – History

Wine in war: The origins of 'plonk'

On the Western Front, French cafés provided respite from the gruelling existence of trench warfare.

By DVA Author, January 22 2018

News – Travel

Naours: Soldiers' subterranean records

One of the most fascinating places on the Western Front is Naours, where underground tunnels contain the largest known collection of First...

By DVA Author, January 20 2018

News – Travel

Remembering the Anzacs of the Western Front

Over half the eligible male population of Australia enlisted during the First World War and of these some 295,000 served on the...

By DVA author, January 17 2018

News – History

Soldiers' diaries and photographs

Australian soldiers were discouraged from keeping personal records during the First World War, yet many disregarded official advice and their works now...

By DVA Author, January 15 2018

News – Travel

Bon appétit!: A foodie’s guide to France

There are many reasons to visit France, one of the most popular being food!

By DVA author, January 13 2018

News – History

Australian ‘slanguage’ in the First World War

The First World War began more than 100 years ago, yet the language of the trenches is still used every day.

By DVA author, January 10 2018

News – History

Australia’s Indigenous soldiers

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that the following page may contain images of deceased persons which may cause sadness...

By DVA author, January 8 2018

News – At the Centre

Interactive technology experience at the Sir John Monash Centre

A high-tech digital experience is being developed for the Sir John Monash Centre, providing visitors with an emotive journey from the moment...

By DVA author, January 6 2018

News – Travel

Villers-Bretonneux: A region of rich heritage

It has been said that the last witness in war is the ground itself. Today, in France, a unique and wealthy heritage...

By DVA author, January 3 2018

News – History

Looking back: Australia 100 years ago

As we enter a new year it is timely to reflect on life in Australia 100 years ago. What was occupying the...

By DVA Author, January 1 2018

News – History

Billets: A touch of home life

Much of the history of the First World War focusses on the battles, but how did Australian soldiers spend the rest of...

By DVA Author, December 30 2017

News – History

How children experienced the First World War

The First World War affected every part of Australian society. Nearly 417,000 men enlisted, while large numbers of women were recruited into...

By DVA Author, December 27 2017

News – History

Christmas in the trenches

Christmas, considered by many to be a time of ‘peace and goodwill to all men’, prompted a truce on the Western Front,...

By DVA Author, December 25 2017

News – History

Leave for the lucky

Australian soldiers serving on the Western Front were so far from home that some used their leave to venture to another homeland,...

By DVA Author, December 22 2017

News – History

'No' to conscription

One-hundred years ago, campaigning over Australia’s second conscription referendum was at its bitter and divisive peak. As casualty lists on the Western Front...

By DVA Author, December 20 2017

News – At the Centre

'Iron harvest' at construction site

More than 180 personal artefacts and relics and 230kg of unexploded ordnance from the First World War were uncovered during construction of...

By DVA Author, December 15 2017

News – History

Who was Charles Bean?

Many of Australia’s historical accounts of the Western Front originate from the writings of the country’s Official War Correspondent Charles Bean.

By DVA Author, December 1 2017

News – Travel

Battlefield bike tours

One of the most popular ways of experiencing the Australian Remembrance Trail is on a battlefield bicycle tour.

By DVA Author, November 29 2017

News – Travel

Autumn: One of the best times to visit France

Autumn can be one of the best times to visit France. Schools go back for a new year, businesses resume operations, and...

By DVA Author, November 29 2017

News – Travel

Travelling to France

More than a million Australians visit France every year. Their average stay is two weeks, starting with a spot of culture in Paris,...

By DVA Author, November 20 2017

News – History

Tracing your First World War ancestors

Many Australians have an ancestor who fought and died on the Western Front. After all, 295,000 Australians served in this part of...

By DVA Author, November 17 2017

News – At the Centre

Tapestry picture emerging

Australian weavers are creating a giant tapestry for the opening of the Sir John Monash Centre in France in April 2018.  

By DVA Author, November 16 2017

News – History

Hill 60, Ypres: The peak of military mining

‘Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography.’

By DVA Author, November 15 2017

News – History

Poppies for remembrance

Poppies have been synonymous with remembrance for more than a century.

By DVA Author, November 11 2017

News – History

The Australian origins of a minute's silence

The custom of observing a minute’s silence on Remembrance Day is largely due to one Australian man, soldier and journalist Edward Honey.

By DVA Author, November 8 2017

News – At the Centre

Bookings now open

Bookings are now open for the Sir John Monash Centre which is due to open at the Australian National Memorial, near Villers-Bretonneux...

By DVA Author, November 1 2017

News – At the Centre

Aboriginal artwork commissioned for Centre

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that the following page may contain images of deceased persons which may cause sadness...

By DVA Author, November 1 2017

News – History

100 years since Passchendaele

October 2017 marked the centenary of the battles of Poelcappelle and Passchendaele when Allied soldiers continued their third offensive to secure the...

By DVA Author, November 1 2017

News – History

Base Records Office: Conveying the news

Imagine creating more than 400,000 individual files, nearly 1.5 million letters, and 170,000 telegrams and cables.

By DVA Author, November 1 2017

News – Travel

Battle of Polygon Wood Centenary Commemorations

More than a thousand guests attended the centenary commemorations of the Battle of Polygon Wood in Belgium last month. View our photo...

By DVA Author, November 1 2017

News – History

General Monash: Hot tucker on the front line

An army marches on its stomach and this belief contributed to Sir John Monash’s reputation as ‘a commander of genius’.

By DVA Author, October 23 2017

News – History

Reflective Trail illuminates centenary of Polygon Wood

The Australian Government has created a solemn and thought-provoking experience for those attending this year’s dawn service for the centenary of Polygon...

By Chuck Anderson, September 14 2017

News – At the Centre

The origins of the Sir John Monash Centre

In April 2015, the concept for the new Sir John Monash Centre, sitting adjacent to the Australian National Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux...

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Western Front – where a 'smartphone' was a pigeon

Communications entered a whole new era during the First World War, where new technology began complementing carrier pigeons, messenger dogs and other...

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Australian battles on the Western Front

Australians arrived in France in March 1916, and were soon manning a sector of the Western Front.  

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Villers-Bretonneux: ’France and Australia together forever…’

One small village in France will forever remember the sacrifice of the young Australians who saved them from German occupation and potential...

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Letters from home boost morale

Mail was an incredible morale booster for troops on the Western Front, and a critical lifeline to the world they left behind.

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Life in the trenches

Conditions in the trenches on the Western Front were both miserable and fraught with danger.

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Five facts about the First World War

While there is so much to learn about the First World War, here are five interesting facts to get you started:

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – Travel

Getting to the Sir John Monash Centre from Paris

The Sir John Monash Centre sits near the village of Villers-Bretonneux, just over 140 kilometres north-east of Paris. An easy day trip,...

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

The Third Battle of Ypres begins

After two weeks of shelling, the third battle of Ypres began on 31 July, 1917.

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – History

Australians on the Western Front

In March 1916, hundreds of thousands of young Australians found themselves in north-western France—on the Western Front, where they would soon go...

By DVA Author, July 18 2017

News – Travel

Amiens - Quintessential French treasure

The UNESCO World Heritage listed city of Amiens is less than a two-hour drive from Paris and only half an hour from...

By Chuck Anderson, July 5 2017

News – History

Sir John Monash: the man behind the name

By the end of the First World War, Sir John Monash had earned a reputation as one of the most innovative commanders...

By Chuck Anderson, July 5 2017

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