Q: What is a war memorial?
For the purposes of the Register, we consider that a war memorial is an officially recognised or designated place, object, landscape element, monument, or structure, primarily designed and constructed to remember and commemorate those who have served in the Australian armed services.
Usually, an object or construction can be considered a war memorial when:
If you are unsure whether an item, structure, or object is a war memorial, please refer to our glossary of terms for examples or contact us.
Please note, the majority of the content published on the Register has been contributed by members of the public and other community organisations and therefore may include war memorials that do not neatly fit into this guideline.
Q: What is a memorial form or type?
War memorials can take many shapes, ranging from simple plaques to more elaborate monuments or objects. Some common forms of war memorials include:
For the purposes of the Register, we have developed a glossary of terms to assist with describing memorials. If you are unsure what form the memorial you are interested in is, you can refer to our glossary as a guide. Please note, this is not intended as a definitive list and we acknowledge others may use different lists of forms.
Q: What conflicts does the Register cover?
The Register includes memorials to conflicts in which Australia has been involved. We follow the advice of the Australian War Memorial and include the below conflict periods:
Q: What is a custodian and how can I find the custodian of a particular memorial?
Custodians own, maintain, or take responsibility for the management of a memorial. They are often local councils, RSL sub-Branches, committees, or property owners.
To identify the custodian of a memorial, we recommend you start by contacting the above groups associated with the memorial you are interested in.
Please note, the Register does not hold a list of up-to-date custodians, and we are not the custodian of any of the memorials listed on this website.
Q: Where can I find out more about the Register?
Information about the Register including its purpose, history and editorial policy is available on the About the Register page.
Q: Can I book a venue via the Register or make an enquiry about one of the venues listed on the Register?
No. You cannot enquire about or book a function at any of the listed venues through the Register. The Register is a database, and does not own, maintain, or hold any responsibility for the operations of any of the venues listed.
Please contact the owner or custodian of the relevant venue directly, for enquiries such as function bookings, opening hours, exhibitions, or access. Custodians are often local councils, RSL sub-Branches, committees, or property owners.
Q: Does the Register accept donations of physical items, such as medals?
No. The Register is a database, and does not maintain a physical collection of objects, materials, or memorabilia. You could consider contacting the below organisations about donating military related items. Please note, their individual collection policies will apply:
Q: Can the Register help me physically add a name to a war memorial?
No. The Register is a database of war memorials, and does not own or maintain any of the memorials listed on this website.
We recommend you contact the custodian of the memorial directly to discuss your request. Custodians are often local councils, RSL sub-Branches, committees, or property owners. Also see the 'Caring for and maintaining memorials' section below.
If you are successful in adding a name to a memorial, and the memorial is listed on the Register, you can request to update the memorial record using our online submission form. Refer to the 'Contributing new veterans to the Regsiter' section on our How can I contribute? page.
Q: How can I contact the Register?
See our Contact Us page for our email address and phone number.
Q: Why do I need to create an online account?
To contribute new memorials or veterans to the Register or update existing records, you must have an online account. Creating an account also allows you to save draft versions of your submissions to your dashboard, if you need to conduct further research.
We may contact you via these details to discuss your submission. Your personal data will never be shared publicly without your permission. Read more about this in our privacy policy.
You do not need an account to search the Register or report a concern about the condition of a memorial listed on the Register.
Q: What is the 'My submissions' dashboard?
Once you create a free online account on the Register, you are automatically set up with a 'My submissions' dashboard. Your dashboard keeps track of your draft and pending submissions.
Access your dashboard by clicking the 'My account' button at the top of the screen, which is visible when you are logged in. Once on your user profile page, click the 'My submissions' tab.
You will also be re-directed to your dashboard each time you save a draft or submit a form. Click 'Continue editing' to return to a draft or make changes to a previously submitted form.
Once the Register has processed your form, it will be removed from your pending list and you will receive an email notification.
Q: How do I search for a memorial on the Register?
There are two ways to search for a memorial on the Register:
By suburb or postcode
Use the ‘Search memorials by suburb or postcode’ function on our homepage. Scroll down to the map section and enter the suburb or postcode in the relevant search box. Remember to click the clear button before you begin. If you type a suburb, a list of matches will appear. Select the best match and click search. A list of memorials within that suburb or postcode will display. Click on the names in the list to view the memorial.
The map gives you a visual representation of the spread of memorials around your search area. Click on a red pin to see the name of that memorial and a small image of it. Please note, as multiple memorials can be in the one location, only one pin will show for that location.
By name
Use the ‘Search for’ box on our homepage. Scroll down to directly above the map section. Enter the name of the memorial in the search box, tick the ‘Memorial’ checkbox and click search. A list of results will display on a new page.
Please note, war memorials can be known by multiple names. If you are unable to find the memorial on the Register using a name, try searching by suburb or postcode as described above.
If you are still unsuccessful, please consider adding the memorial to the Register. See the ‘Contributing a new memorial or veteran to the Register’ section below.
Q: How can I search for a veteran on the Register?
The Register includes pages for veterans who are recorded on a NSW war memorial. Use the ‘Search for’ box on our homepage to look for them. Scroll down to directly above the map section. Enter the name of the veteran in the search box, tick the ‘Veterans’ checkbox and click search. A list of results will display on a new page.
Please note, the Register contains more than 200,000 veteran records, the majority of which are incomplete or contain limited information. It may be difficult to quickly and accurately identify the veteran you are looking for.
Tips:
If you know where in NSW the veteran has been commemorated, try searching for a memorial instead. See the above question ‘How do I search for a memorial on the Register?’
You may be able to find more information about the veteran, such as alternate spellings of their name, via their service records. More information may increase your success searching the Register. We recommend using the resources listed on our Researching war memorials and veterans page.
Also refer to our How can I contribute? page
Q: I have found a memorial that is not listed on the Register. How can I register it?
To submit a new war memorial to the Register, you will need to create an online account. You can watch our helpful video, which walks you through this process.
Once you are logged in, click 'Contribute to the Register' at the top of the screen, then click Add a memorial.
Follow the steps in the online submission form to submit the required information. See the below questions ‘What information do I need to have to submit a new memorial to the Register?’ and ‘How do I use the online submission form?’ for helpful information and tips.
Q: Can I submit content to the Register by post?
No. To keep the Register’s information consistent and manageable, we do not accept any submissions by post.
Q: What information do I need to have to submit a new memorial to the Register?
The minimum information required for a submission is:
Submissions that include sufficient information in the first instance are likely to be assessed faster. We will contact you by email for clarification on your submission or for further information if required.
Submissions that do not meet the above requirements may not be processed.
Q: How do I use the online submission form?
The online submission form is a step-by-step process. All mandatory questions in the form are marked with an asterisk (*). If you are unsure how to answer some of the optional questions about the memorial, please leave the field blank or conduct further research.
There are helpful tips provided for most of the questions in the form, which provide guidance on where to find historical information about memorials and veterans online. We also recommend using the resources on our Researching war memorials and veterans page.
If you need more help along the way, please contact us.
Q: How do I save a draft of my online submission form?
You can save a draft to work on later, after you have completed all the mandatory questions on page 2 of the form. Simply click the 'Save' button at the bottom of any page. The next time you log in to the Register, click on the 'My submissions' tab to view your drafts. Click 'Continue editing' to return to a draft. Remember, all forms will remain in draft state until you tick the 'Submit for approval' box and then click 'Save'.
Q: How do I add a name to the veterans table on an existing memorial record on the Register?
Download a copy of our veterans spreadsheet. Follow the instructions within the sheet and press 'Enable editing' or ‘Enable content’ when prompted. Refer to the example provided in the third row as a guide and fill in as much information as possible about your veteran in the fourth row. The minimum details required are first name, or first initial, and last name, as they appear on the memorial.
Submit your spreadsheet to us via our online submission form. Refer to the 'Contributing new veterans' section on our How can I contribute? page for more information.
If you are not familiar with spreadsheets, please email us to discuss alternatives.
Notes:
Also refer to our How can I contribute? page
Q: I have noticed a memorial record is out-of-date. How can I update this record on the Register?
To update an existing memorial on the Register, you will need to create an online account. You can watch our helpful video, which walks you through this process.
Once you are logged in, find the relevant memorial record using our simple suburb search. Refer to the 'Searching the Register' section above for helpful information and tips.
Once on the memorial record, click the 'Update this memorial' link on the right-hand side of the screen, directly above the map. You will be taken to the memorial submission form, which will be pre-filled with the details already on the Register, excluding the photographs and any veterans spreadsheets.
Review the content in the form and make any required changes/additions in the boxes provided. Refer to the 'Updating existing memorial records' section on our How can I contribute? page for more information.
Q: How can I update information on a veteran's page on the Register?
To update an existing veteran on the Register, you will need to create an online account. You can watch our helpful video, which walks you through this process.
Once you are logged in, find the veteran using our search function. See the above question 'How can I search for a veteran on the Register?'
Once on the veteran's page, click 'Update this veteran' on the right-hand side. Follow the steps in the online submission form to submit the information.
Do you have any photographs of the veteran, or copies of their service documents? See the below question 'I have a photograph, or a service document related to a veteran who is listed on the Register, can I send it to you?'
Q: I have noticed a memorial record is missing its inscriptions or veterans table. How can I add these details to the record?
Inscriptions
To add a transcription of the inscriptions on a memorial, please follow the steps outlined in the above question 'I have noticed a memorial record is out-of-date. How can I update this record on the Register?'
Veterans table
To add a veterans table to an existing memorial record, you will need an accurate transcription of all veterans listed on the memorial. Once you have this list, download a copy of our veterans spreadsheet. Follow the instructions within the sheet and press 'Enable editing' or ‘Enable content’ when prompted. Refer to the example provided in the third row as a guide and fill in as much information as possible about the veterans, starting from the fourth row. The minimum details required are first name, or first initial, and last name, as they appear on the memorial.
Once you have completed the spreadsheet for each veteran on the memorial, submit your spreadsheet to us via our online submission form. Refer to the 'Contributing new veterans' section on our How can I contribute? page for more information.
Q: I have a photograph, or a service document related to a veteran who is listed on the Register, can I send it to you?
The Register accepts high-quality, digital images/files only, not printed photographs or hardcopy documents.
Digital images/files commonly submitted include:
See the ‘Photography’ section below for important information and the above question ‘How can I update information on a veteran’s page on the Register?’
Q: How do I photograph a memorial?
You must have at least one high-quality, clear photograph of the memorial in its entirety to submit a new or updated memorial to the Register. We strongly encourage you to read our comprehensive How to photograph a war memorial page for helpful information and tips, before you begin documenting the memorial.
Q: What image file types do you accept and what is the maximum file size?
Specifications:
Q: How will my images be used?
Any images submitted to the Register are subject to review under our Editorial Policy and reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution. We reserve the right to exclude or edit any photo submitted, without notice.
Q: I am concerned about the physical condition of a memorial listed on the Register. What can I do?
Firstly, document your concerns by taking detailed notes and photographing the memorial. Refer to the 'Reporting a concern' section on our How can I contribute? page for more information. Submit your concerns to us via email.
Q: Are there programs or grants available for communities or organisations to assist in caring for and maintaining war memorials?
Yes. The NSW Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) delivers the Community War Memorials Fund, which awards grants of up to $10,000 to help conserve, repair and protect war memorials in New South Wales. War memorials must be recorded on the Register to be eligible for funding. Find out more about the fund at the NSW OVA’s website.
Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants are also available through the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), to fund war memorial projects.
Funding to care for memorials may also be available through the relevant local council or the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
Q: How can I physically add a name to an existing war memorial?
A memorial is a piece of local history and they are often extremely culturally valuable. Changes to war memorials, particularly historic war memorials, should be approached with caution. They should be sensitive to the war memorial’s original fabric and intention. It may or may not be appropriate to physically add a name to a war memorial. You should consult key stakeholders such as the owner or custodian of the memorial, the local council and the RSL sub-Branch for advice before planning any work to a war memorial.
For more information, please refer to the Caring for our war memorials guide. You can also read about adding names and plaques to existing war memorials in the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs Fact Sheet. If you would like to discuss further, please contact the NSW OVA on (02) 8061 9288.
Veterans’ families can apply for official commemoration, in the form of a memorial plaque, from the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Find out more at the DVA’s website.