Research and adopt a veteran

Before you begin

Identifying, researching and adopting a First World War veteran is a complex research process that uses archival records held at different locations. These records are now 100 years old and many are incomplete.

Be aware that some information and archival images may be confronting or distressing. You are encouraged to seek appropriate support should this occur.

Read about Researching Australian military service: First World War, 1914-1918¹⁸ at the Australian War Memorial.

Identify a veteran

There are various ways you can choose a veteran to research, they may have personal or family significance, be from a story you are familiar with, or a name from a war memorial.

Honour Boards and Memorials were community initiatives, and record the names of men from the local area. A variety of icons were used to denote if the men were injured or killed. Referencing First World War Honour Boards and War Memorials can help to establish some initial information, such as place, spelling of name and dates to assist in verify the identity of your selected AIF veteran.

Honour Boards and War Memorials may not provide a comprehensive of list of service personnel, as they may only record the names of those who were killed or cover a limited time period during the war. At times local names may have been left off, such as if the veteran was Aboriginal or a female nurse.

The Australian War Memorial provides information about researching names on an honour board¹⁹.

An intriguing or mysterious source can also prompt historical research. Engaging with First World War personal sources such as letters or diaries can provide inspiration when identifying a veteran to research. The Australian War Memorial and the State Library of NSW both hold extensive collections of personal letters and diaries. Search the War Memorial’s People Profiles and biographies²⁰ page and Life Interrupted: Personal Diaries from World War I²¹ at the State Library of NSW. These online catalogues allow for detailed search functions to be done.

Initial search

The first steps in the research process are to clearly identify the veteran’s full name and service number, which is their individual Australian Imperial Force reference number. This step can be time consuming and sometimes challenging to clearly identify the single veteran you wish to investigate as there may a number of complications, including veterans with the same name, to work through.

Cross reference these search results and compare to the personal information already collected. Once information such as service number, date of enlistment, battalion and, if possible the company, are found then further details can be more easily located.

Starting with a name

The Australian War Memorial’s search function under the ‘People’ tab accesses several different sources. It is important to select First World War 1914-1918 from the ‘Conflict’ drop-down menu.

The results of the search from each database are listed under the search function. Results will vary according to the records available for the person you are researching.

It may be necessary to review this initial information with reference to the personal information you may already have, such as the location or place i.e. town or suburb, names of next of kin and place of birth, with the evidence found in the records.

The Australian War Memorial web page Detailed Description of First World War Embarkation Roll²² explains the information contained in the embarkation rolls.

There are a large number of responses for the name I am using. How do I narrow the search down?

How do I know when I have found the person I want to research?

Where a large number of responses are provided for a name common at the time, it becomes necessary to use information that is already known, such as rank, location or awards to narrow down the possibilities. Search the Embarkation Roll²³ for each name which further narrows the search to a short list. Use known details to identify the specific individual you are researching.

If the name has been selected from a local war memorial then this also provides a location where the veteran may have been born or lived; however, initials may only be used instead of the given name. Rank and whether the person was killed, wounded or held as a prisoner of war may also be indicated by an icon beside the name.

Note that embarkation rolls are not complete. If a roll is not available then Search the First World War Nominal Roll²⁴ instead.

Service records

Where can I find the veterans personal service records? What information do they contain?

Once the veteran(s) has been identified the next step is to find their personal dossiers, also commonly known as service records. A range of information will be contained in these records, which will be scanned originals.

These records usually contain:

Attestation paper – this is the name of the enlistment form completed by the person and usually has next of kin, employment details, marital status, age and place of birth as well as a physical description.

Note that no record of race or background was required other than the statement about where they were born such as ‘natural born’ which indicated that they had been born in Australia, or alternatively the name of the country in which they were born.

This attestation paper will also note which battalion and often the company they were placed in. This is important information to have as it supports further investigation. This will be followed by a ledger that shows where and when they travelled, any injuries and where they were treated, any missing reports and recommendations, such as:

• Service and casualty form – also known as ‘Form B103’ which shows deployment, injuries and hospitalisation dates and locations.

• Military correspondence – any communication between the Department of Defence and the person’s next of kin, and could include information about injuries or death, medals, promotions and questions about their location.

Service records are often hand written and also contain abbreviations, which can make them difficult to read. See the Australian War Memorial Glossary²⁵ and the National Archives of Australia² list of abbreviations for assistance.

Read these National Archives of Australia pages for more information: Fact sheet about World War I service records²⁶ and Service records - Army – World War I: 1914-18²⁷.

These personal records do not provide specific information about what the person was involved in during the war. To find this information you will now need to access the Australian Imperial Force Unit War Diaries at the Australian War Memorial.