Bivouacs and tents at Mena Camp, Egypt, 4 December 1914. Photographer RG Casey
Courtesy of National Archives RecordSearch database

Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) recently launched a new website which was a joint project between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand Discovering Anzacs. The website will include digitised service dossiers of every Australian and New Zealander who served in World War I as well as many from the Boer War, creating a unique online profile for each.
‘We’re proud to be able to bring together the official records of our two archival institutions in this way,’ said David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives of Australia. ‘Discovering Anzacs builds on the success and popularity of our earlier website Mapping our Anzacs, and encourages members of the public to upload their own family stories, photos and mementoes.’
Mr Fricker explained that The National Archives of Australia has also expanded the range of records beyond that available on Mapping our Anzacs. Postcards about love and war, photographs of internees and cultural aspects of the time provide a detailed picture of life beyond the official war history. Mr Fricker went on to point out that in all, the site includes the records of more than 600,000 people involved in conflicts or behind the scenes, including those of munitions workers, internees and merchant marines, as well as servicemen and women.
‘All of these records help us discover the reality of war – what happened behind the public face of national pride and heroism,’ said Mr Fricker. ‘As well as the heroes, there were those whose achievements went largely unrecognised. We see this website as a tribute to them all and a valuable resource for future research.’