25 April 2014

Australian and New Zealand service Personnel search WW1, How to



Australian and New Zealand service Personnel search WW1



Many people would be searching for their family members who served in many of the wars or in peacekeeping throughout the world. One of the most easiest files to research is that of the WW1 service people. I will be looking at both the Australian and New Zealand searches, although most of the information and links would be Australian.
When researching your service personnel usually from the First World war in Australia or New Zealand. Both search areas are different, but you can do a basic search either through the National archives in Australia or in New Zealand archives. Both service records are usually available digitally from the websites. There would be plenty of other places to look for information, but I am only providing the basic information.


Australia

Basic search for the records

Australian National archives
When looking for your service personnel or any other record you might be looking for. Some are available online, but others are not. All you need to do is have some dates and a name when you search the collection. The Records for WWII are available, but it seems you have to purchase the files and go from there after ordering them.

If you are wanting to go further to learn more information about your service ancestor. The Australian War Memorial provides plenty of information. I will provide the links to several parts of the website as examples and a short explanation.

Australian War Memorial
The War memorial has plenty of information about the Australian side of conflicts from WW1 to current conflicts involving Australia.


Units
This part of the website provides you with a list of all units that have served in wars and peacekeeping operations. Not only does the page provides you with information on the unit, but hopefully the unit patch as well. The page will help to explain what happened and their location.

War Diaries
The war diaries provide an account on what was happening within the unit battalion during the wars. They are used to record their activities. Some of the information provided can include maps and reports.

Red Cross
For WWI the Red Cross files help provide information on missing and wounded personnel. The link will take you to the WW1 search though this page contains details for POWs in WWII.

Roll of Honour Circulars
They are a list of names that go on the war graves and the memorial roll of honour. They are from WWI and are completed by the next of kin of those who had died during the war.

There are other pages you can search on the Australian War Memorial website like the Embarkation rolls. I am leaving you to search the rest of the links on the website as there are quite a few there that can provide you with information. By hunting down someone’s service it is like a jigsaw puzzle.


New Zealand
In New Zealand there are several locations that you can visit for the searching of New Zealand military records. I don’t know them all, but I know several of the locations to visit. The first I am going to provide is the link to the first stop in the journey and that is the New Zealand Archives

New Zealand Archives
This is where the archives are held and you can order the records for the Boar and WW1 service personnel. To start searching you go through Archway. A list of results appear once you type in your request. Some records are online digitally.

Ordering World War II records

The records for the WWII soldiers and onwards are located elsewhere and you have to use the link provided to search for the information and send off a request.

New Zealand army museum

Provides information on how to search for records for family history purposes and provides links to other sites about ordering service medals.

Auckland Museum Cenoteph

The Cenoteph is a search engine that gives you information about those who have served and also provides links to other information about the person and their service. The museum itself does have books about some of the service personnel’s battalions. One book I tried to find out if you could buy, but it is online.

Other sources of Information.

Cameron, David W. Gallipoli – The Final Battles and Evacuation of ANZAC, Big Sky Publishing Pty Ltd, Newport, 2011.

Carlyon, Les Gallipoli, Pan Macmillan, Sydney, 2002.


Clark, Chris The encyclopaedia of Australia’s battles, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2010.

Fewster, Kevin Bean’s Gallipoli: The diaries of Australia’s Official War Correspondent, 3rd edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2009.

Gentry, Kynan McGibbon, Ian McLean, Gavin The Penguin book of New Zealanders at War, Penguin Group, Rosedale, 2009.

Palenski, Ron Kiwi Battlefields, Hachette, Auckland, 2011.

Pattison, Barnie (director), Australia at War 1914 – 1918 (video recording), Film Australia, Lindfield, 1967.

Tyquin, Michael B. Gallipoli: The medical War, New South Wales University Press, Kensington, 1993.

No comments:

Post a Comment