The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving personnel from the Australian colonies prior to Federation. Opened in 1941, the memorial includes an extensive national military museum.
The memorial is located in the suburb of Campbell in Australia's capital, Canberra. It is located at the northern terminus of Anzac Parade, Australia’s national ceremonial route, which itself is located along part of the land axis of the design of central Canberra. This axis runs from the peak of Mount Ainslie in the northeast to Capital Hill, where Parliament House is located, in the southwest, a distance of 5.2 km. The pivotal point in the layout of Canberra of where the War Memorial is located was deliberately selected as the location for the memorial, in order to reflect its national importance. There is a very clear and obvious line of sight along the land axis from the memorial to Parliament House and vice versa.
The Australian War Memorial consists of three parts: the Commemorative Area (shrine) including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, the memorial's galleries (museum) and Research Centre (records). The memorial also has an outdoor Sculpture Garden. The memorial is open daily from 10am until 5pm, excluding Christmas Day.
Other monuments and memorials located on the adjacent Anzac Parade are maintained separately by the National Capital Authority (NCA) and do not form part of the Australian War Memorial.
History
Charles Bean, Australia's official World War I historian, first conceived a museum memorial to Australian soldiers while observing the 1916 battles in France. The Australian War Records Section was founded in May 1917 to ensure preservation of records relating to the war being fought at the time. Records and relics were exhibited first in Melbourne and later Canberra.
An architecture competition in 1927 did not produce a winning entry. Two of the entrants, Sydney architects Emil Sodersten and John Crust, were however encouraged to re-present a joint design. A limited budget and the effects of the Depression confined the scope of the project.
The memorial was initially planned as a museum memorial dedicated solely to the remembrance of Australian involvement in World War I. However, in 1939, as it became clear that a second war of similar proportions would break out, the memorial's Board of Management decided to make the building a space for the remembrance of all Australian involvement in war. This involvement would be characterised as a continuation of Australia's experience of World War I.
The building was completed in 1941, after the outbreak of World War II. It was officially opened following a Remembrance Day ceremony on 11 November 1941 by the then Governor-General Lord Gowrie, a former soldier whose honours include the Victoria Cross. Additions since the 1940s have allowed the remembrance of Australia's participation in all recent conflicts. The Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier was added in 1993, to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Directors
The following individuals have served as directors of the Australian War Memorial:
Chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial
The following individuals have served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial Council:
Remembrance Driveway
Remembrance Nature Park, located behind the war memorial, is the Canberra terminus of the Remembrance Driveway, a system of arboreal parks, landmarks and road-side stops between Sydney and Canberra commemorating the 24 World War II and Vietnam War Victoria Cross recipients. Within that nature park is a small bronze plaque mounted on a large boulder, commemorating Indigenous Australians who have fought for their country.
Anzac Parade
Anzac Parade is a short, broad boulevard named in honour of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). It stretches from near the north shore of Lake Burley Griffin to the foot of the memorial proper, along the line of sight from Parliament House. It separates the residential suburbs of Campbell and Reid, and is fairly heavily trafficked as a route between northeast Canberra (Dickson etc.) and Kings Avenue Bridge.
Along each side of the Parade is a row of monuments commemorating specific military campaigns or services, such as the Vietnam War and Australia's wartime nurses. The monuments are mostly sculptures in a variety of styles ranging from naturalistic to Modern.