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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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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....
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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....
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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....
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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....
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading By DVA author, June 2 2018
News – At the Centre
Photo gallery: the Official Opening of the Sir John Monash Centre
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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?
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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!
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.’
Continue Reading By DVA Author, November 15 2017
News – History
Poppies for remembrance
Poppies have been synonymous with remembrance for more than a century.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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’.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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:
Continue Reading 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,...
Continue Reading 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.
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading 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...
Continue Reading By Chuck Anderson, July 5 2017