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

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Australian Military History FAQs

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

British Commonwealth Occupation Force - Credit Australian War Memorial

The Colonial Period

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

Waikato War - Image credit Alexander Turnbull Library in New Zealand

The Waikato War

Learn more about Australia's involvement in New Zealand during 1863-1864.

The War in Soudan-Egypt

Australians, including many from Sydney and New South Wales, supported the British in the Soudan.

The Boer War

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

Boxer Rebellion - Credit Australian War Memorial

The Boxer Rebellion

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

First World War - Credit Australian War Memorial

The First World War

The Great War. The War to end all Wars.

Second World War - Credit Australian War Memorial

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.

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.

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.

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.

Indonesian Confrontation - Credit Australian War Memorial

The Indonesian Confrontation

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

Vietnam - Credit Australian War Memorial

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.

Gulf War - Credit Australian War Memorial

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.

Peacekeeping East Timor - Credit Australian War Memorial

Peacekeeping Operations

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

East Timor

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

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.

The War in Iraq

Although divided on the morality of the war, all Australians wished departing troops a safe return home.