Summary heading

Lantern slides of the Imperial War Graves Commission

Function and purpose

The slides provide a pictorial history of the work of the Imperial War Graves Commission, which cared for the graves of servicemen. The Imperial War Graves Commission was started by Fabian Ware and established under Royal Assent in 1917. The work includes locating World War I war graves of Australians, British and New Zealand servicemen and servicewomen.

A Cabinet Decision of 10 March 1922 committed the Australian Government to the commemoration and care of the graves of Australian ex-servicemen and women whose postwar deaths have been accepted as being related to war service. The Imperial War Graves Commission is the precursor to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Related legislation

Cabinet Decision 10 March 1922 committed the Australian Government to the commemoration and perpetual care of war graves. Subsequently the War Graves Act received assent on 6 June 1980, giving statutory recognition for the establishment, care and maintenance of Australian war graves.

Using the series

The whole series in custody as at November 2008 has been digitized and is accessible online on RecordSearch.

Language of material

Physical characteristics

These glass lantern slides are a standard - 38 x 10.5 x 9cm. The title for Item 27 is illegible through water damage.  The slides were received in a long black wooden box with a leather strap and metal handle. They are presently housed in cold storage for preservation reasons.

System of arrangement and control

It is a single number system. 

The first sequence numbered 1-82 with 35, 38-40 are missing.  Two different items 51 and 54 are included and 4 different items were numbered 60 – shown as 60, 60A, 60B and 60C. Items 51B, 54B, 60A, 60B and 60C have no titles.  The 2nd sequence is 1889-1891.  The 3rd sequence is 2998-2999 and the fourth sequence is B416-B418.

Relationships with other records

Finding aids

All items have been entered on RecordSearch and digitized. In 1989 Archives made an album of the slides.  The negatives that were made for this purpose were not suitable for making enlargements of individual pictures.

Access conditions

 All open to view as digital images on the database.  Original slides restricted from access for conservation reasons. 

Series history

 In 1989 Arrangement and Description Section converted the unserialized accession AA1982/219 to A8027. 

Provenance

The slides appear to have come from several different sources over the years, accumulating in the Veterans’ Affairs, from the Imperial War Graves Commission . 

Immediate source of acquisition

The slides were originally transferred into custody in 1982 as an unserialised accession AA1982/219 from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Central Office (CA 2107) - Office of the Australian War Graves (CA 4456).

Custodial history

Quantity in agency custody

Disposal history

At the time of transfer, the records were deemed to be Permanent under General Disposal Authority 10 of (Dec) 1981 class 24.3.1(a), information services, promotional activities in slide form. 

Publication note

Additional information

Locations on slides include graves in war fields in France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Egypt, Gaza, and cemeteries and memorials in many parts of the world including Italy, England, Palestine, Canada, Switzerland, Macedonia, Kenya.

End notes

Sources

 CA 4456 notes; A8027 series file