Australia’s Military Heritage
Australia’s military heritage provides an insight into the harrowing experiences of war so that we may all better appreciate the significance of the sacrifices made for the peace that we now enjoy.
They shall grow not old
as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,
We will remember them
Lest We Forget
Learn More

Australian Military History FAQs
Australia has a rich and storied military history. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
More

The Colonial Period
Learn more about The Colonial Period and fighting involving the British Regiments and the Volunteers.
More


The War in Soudan-Egypt
Australians, including many from Sydney and New South Wales, supported the British in the Sudan.
More

The Boer War
Learn more about Australia's involvement in The Boer War. Australia’s contribution was significant; suffering tremendous casualties.
More

The Boxer Rebellion
Learn more about The Boxer Rebellion. Australian colonial ships were sent to China to join forces with Britain and other nations.
More


The Second World War
The First World War had been called the ‘war to end all wars’ but by the 1930s tension throughout the world was becoming increasingly dangerous.
More

British Commonwealth Occupation Force
Participation in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) marked the first time that Australians were involved in the military occupation of a sovereign nation it had defeated in war.
More

The Korean War
The crisis in Korea originated in the closing phases of the Second World War, when control of the Korean peninsula, formerly occupied by Japan, was entrusted to the Allies.
More

The Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was declared on 18 June 1948 after three estate managers were murdered in Perak, northern Malaya, by guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party.
More

The Indonesian Confrontation
Between 1962 and 1966 Indonesia and Malaysia fought a small, undeclared war which came to involve troops from Australia and Britain.
More

The Vietnam War
Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping with the policies of other nations to stem the spread of communism in Europe and Asia.
More

The Gulf War
Australian forces were deployed in the Gulf War under the auspices of the UN. The RAN provided vessels for the multi-national naval force.
More

Peacekeeping Operations
Australia has had peacekeepers in the field with the United Nations continuously for over 50 years.
More

East Timor
Australia continued to support the UN peacekeeping operation until December 2012 when the last Australian peacekeeping forces left.
More

The War on Terror and Afghanistan
On 11 September 2001, terrorists used hijacked civilian airliners to destroy the World Trade Centre in New York and to damage the Pentagon in Washington.
More

The War in Iraq
Although divided on the morality of the war, all Australians wished departing troops a safe return home.
More