Announcement
The NSW War Memorials Register has undergone essential maintenance and system upgrades from July 2023 to March 2024. Submissions about war memorials are being accepted from 11 March 2024. Submissions about individual veterans are not being accepted at this time. Read more here.
Contents
- Terms
- About the NSW War Memorials Register
- Your account
- Searching the Register
- Contributing a new memorial to the Register
- Updating a memorial on the Register
- Photography
- Caring for and maintaining war memorials
- Other digital volunteering opportunities
Terms
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:
- it is indicated on the object that it is a war memorial
- it is named a war memorial
- it is considered as a war memorial by the local community
- it is acknowledged as a war memorial by the local RSL
- it is regularly used as a place of gathering during remembrance services, such as on Anzac Day
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:
- honour rolls, boards, and plaques
- obelisks and cenotaphs
- statues and stones
- community halls and swimming pools
- trees and avenues of honour
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:
- Colonial period, 1788–1901
- Sudan, March–June 1885
- South African War (Boer War), 1899–1902
- China (Boxer Rebellion), 1900–01
- First World War, 1914–18
- Second World War, 1939–45
- Occupation of Japan, 1946–51
- Korean War, 1950–53
- Malayan Emergency, 1950–60
- Indonesian Confrontation, 1963–66
- Vietnam War, 1962–75
- Iraq: the First Gulf War, 1990–91
- Afghanistan, 2001–present
- Iraq: the Second Gulf War, 2003–09
- Peacekeeping, 1947–present
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.
About the NSW War Memorials Register (Register)
Q: What is the Register?
The Register is a crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, primarily for educational and information purposes. It is not a statutory list and inclusion on the Register is not a form of heritage listing.
More 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 crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, and does not own, maintain, or operate 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 crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, 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:
- Your local RSL sub-Branch
- Your local library or local museum
- The Anzac Memorial
- The Australian War Memorial
Q: Can the Register help me physically add a name to a war memorial?
No. The Register is a crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, 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.
Q: Can the Register help me research my family member who is a veteran?
No. The Register is not a research service. We do not conduct research into the military service of family members or individual veterans. A list of resources to assist you to conduct research is available on our Researching war memorials and veterans page. If you know that your family member is listed on a war memorial in NSW, you can search the Register to see if the war memorial is listed on our database. Also see the 'Searching the Register' section below.
Q: We want to build a new war memorial. Does the Register need to approve it?
No. The Register is a crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, we are not involved in the construction of or management of individual war memorials.
Before planning for a new war memorial, you should consult with key stakeholders such as the local RSL sub-Branch, other veterans’ groups in your area and the general public. You should also speak to the local council about your plans and any council approvals you may need.
Q: Can we register our local war memorial as an official war memorial?
The Register is a crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, primarily for educational and information purposes. Inclusion on the Register is voluntary. Listing a memorial on the Register does not provide any special status or protections to it.
If you are interested in having your war memorial listed as a local heritage item, you should speak to your local council.
Q: Someone wants to change a war memorial listed on the Register. Can they do that?
The Register is a crowd-sourced database about war memorials across New South Wales, primarily for educational and information purposes. It is not a statutory list and inclusion on the Register is not a form of heritage listing. Therefore, being listed on the Register does not have any legal implications for development processes.
War memorials are part of the fabric of a community's local history, and they are culturally valuable. Changes to war memorials, particularly historic war memorials, should be approached with caution.
Some war memorials may be listed as local heritage items on local council Local Environmental Plans (LEPs), which may offer some protections. You should check with your local council to see if the memorial is a local heritage item. If so, you can raise your concerns about potential changes with council. You may also wish to speak to the person or organisation who maintains the war memorial if it is not council.
Q: How can I contact the Register?
See our Contact Us page for our email address and phone number.
Your account
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 the email address you provide 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, report a concern about the condition of a memorial, or send us updated photos of an existing 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 submission, it will be removed from your pending list and you will receive an email notification.
Searching the Register
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:
Find the relevant memorial record using our simple suburb search. 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 pin to see the name of that memorial and a small image of it. If there are multiple memorials in the one location, a green circle will be shown. Click the circle to show the pins related to these memorials.
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 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:
- Please keep in mind, we ask contributors to record veteran names as they appear on the memorial. This may mean a veteran’s name is spelt differently on a memorial, when compared to other records.
- Try searching by surname to begin with, then adding first names or initials.
- Use the filters on the right-hand side to refine the search results.
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?’
- On the memorial’s page, scroll to the bottom to review the veterans table (if any).
- If you find the veteran, scroll to the right in the table and click ‘View’ to read the details we have been provided.
- If there is no veterans table, it means a transcription of the memorial has not yet been provided to the Register. Please consider transcribing the memorial and adding these valuable details to the Register. See the ‘Updating a memorial on the Register’ section below.
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.
Contributing a new memorial to the Register
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.
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:
- The memorial's name and location/address.
- Information about what the memorial commemorates, particularly details about the conflict and/or veteran.
- A physical description of the memorial.
- A transcription of any inscriptions on the memorial, including veterans' names and relevant dates e.g. construction and dedication dates.
- At least one high-quality, clear photograph of the memorial in its entirety. See the 'Photography' section below for important information.
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.
Helpful tips are included with 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 in 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'.
Updating a memorial on the Register
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.
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: I have noticed the photographs on a memorial record are blurry or out-of-date. How can I send you new photos?
We are always keen to receive new or updated photos of memorials on the Register. If you already have your photos, submit them via our quick and easy Photo Submission Form. You do not need an account to use this form.
If you haven’t taken your photos yet, please refer to our comprehensive How to photograph a war memorial page for important information and helpful advice.
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 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 groups of veterans who are listed on a war memorial’ section on our How can I contribute? Page for more information.
Photography
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?
You can provide a maximum of 8 images for a memorial listing.
Specifications:
- Images should be in jpeg, png, or gif format only.
- Images must be less than 8MB but as large and clear as possible.
- The image size of photos you upload should be at least 2 Megapixels in size, or approximately 1600×1200 pixels.
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.
Caring for and maintaining war memorials
Also refer to the Caring for our memorials page.
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. Contact the owner or custodian of the memorial with your concerns. Refer to the above question ‘What is a custodian and how can I find the custodian of a particular memorial?’
You may wish to collect the following information:
- The name of the memorial you are concerned about or its detailed location.
- Recent photographs that show your concern.
- A brief explanation of your concern.
Concerns generally fall into one or more of the below categories:
- Cleaning - biological growth (e.g. moss) or staining
- Damaged structure or stonework
- Inscription - lettering is missing, fading or damaged
- Lost/missing memorial
- Security
- Setting - area surrounding war memorial
- Vandalism e.g. theft, graffiti
Q: Are there programs or grants available for communities or organisations to assist with caring for war memorials?
Yes. The NSW Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) delivers the Community War Memorials Fund (CWMF), which awards grants of up to $10,000 to help conserve, repair, and protect war memorials in New South Wales. Being listed on this Register is one of the eligibility criteria to apply to the CWMF. Find out more about the CWMF on the NSW OVA’s website.
Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants are also available through the Australian Government's 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?
War memorials are part of the fabric of a community's local history, and they are 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 us.
In certain circumstances, 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.
Q: Is there legislation in NSW to protect war memorials?
There is no specific Act which covers war memorials in NSW; however, the Summary Offences Act 1988 includes a section titled ‘Damaging or desecrating protected places’. While the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs is unable to offer legal advice, our understanding is that damage or desecration would generally relate to situations of malicious damage such as vandalism or graffiti. You may wish to approach a legal practitioner should you have questions about the Act.
Also see the above question ‘Someone wants to change a war memorial listed on the Register. Can they do that?’
Other digital volunteering opportunities
Q: I am interested in volunteering for history-related or military-related digital projects. What other digital volunteering opportunities are there?
The Register Team has compiled the below list. Please note, these are all separate to the Register and have their own guidelines and processes. Refer to the individual website for information.