Series number
AWM108
Series title
Roll of Honour circulars, 1939-45 War
Series contents range
1 Jan 1940 – 31 Dec 1945
Extent
6 m
Access conditions
Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)
Agency controlling
Department of Defence
Custodial Agency
Australian War Memorial
Function and Provenance
Series AWM108 consists of personal details forms for Australian service personnel who died during the 1939-1945 war and whose names are recorded on the War Memorial’s Roll of Honour.
In 1941, the Government extended the scope of the Australian War Memorial to include the 1939-45 War. Information concerning the death of Australian service personnel war was initially forwarded direct to the Memorial by the Directorate of War Graves Services (DWGS). The DWGS later became the Anzac Agency of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC).
Beginning in 1953, the information on the Circulars was used by the Australian War Memorial, in conjunction with the Roll of Honour Cards (AWM146), in the compilation of the Roll of Honour (AWM Registry file 746/2/1). The circulars were also used to assist in the compilation of biographical details of those commemorated on the Roll of Honour.
Similar Circulars were used during the 1914-18 War (AWM131, AWM164)) but in that conflict they were distributed to next of kin (NOK) for completion. Information sought included “place of association” with the intention that names would be listed on the Honour Roll by town or region of origin. In some instances this also occurred in relation to the later Circulars relating to 1939-1945 deaths and hence some of those forms have been stamped "NOK Circularized" in the lower right hand corner. However, in the majority of cases the forms were compiled by the Anzac Agency without reference to NOK and the decision was taken to list Honour Roll names by unit rather than town or region. The information contained in the series has, in effect, been transcribed by Anzac Agency staff, with the bulk of entries typed and only occasional handwritten annotations. A more appropriate title might be "Roll of Honour forms, 1939-45", this being the title used on the folders in which the forms are contained.
Content
Information provided on the forms includes the following:·
- Personal details: service number, rank, name, honours, age, service, ship or unit
- Details of Death: date and place of death, place of burial
- Home Details: usual place of residence, occupation, birthplace, parentage (father and mother’s names), spouse’s name, connection
- Roll of Honour panel details
A space at the bottom of the form for "Remarks" has not been filled in. Entries under the heading "Connection" include references to the service and/or deaths of other family members in the 1939-45 War or any previous conflict.
All services are represented - Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Naval Reserve, Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force, etc. However it should be noted that the series is far from complete, with no Circulars for many deaths recorded on the Roll of Honour Cards. The reason for these gaps is not known.
System of Arrangement and Control
The individual personal forms are collated in alphabetical order (from Aarons F.E. to Zwoerner D.), with batches of forms stapled within a single file. There is no consistency in the number of forms in each file. The numbering system of the files [1 – 224] was imposed by the Memorial.
Using the Series
The entire series was has an access status of "OPEN". Records are available to be viewed in the Reading Room at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra and more information can be found at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/research-at-the-memorial
Sources
AWM108 Series Dossier