Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the national capital, is more than a physical monument honoring the nation's soldiers.
Born of World War I's Gallipoli Campaign and the Western Front -- which gave rise to annual Anzac Day commemorations in Australia and New Zealand — the Australian War Memorial has evolved through the years to what it is today: a Canberra monument and a museum which house the histories and relics of many wars and conflicts.
After experiencing firsthand the savage battles of World War I, official Australian war correspondent Charles Bean — who went ashore with the Anzacs at Gallipoli that fateful day in 1915 — thought it only fitting that an Australian memorial museum should be established.
Becoming a World War I historian, Bean lobbied hard for the creation of the Australian War Memorial but the Depression years intervened and it was only in 1941 that the building which stands at the end of Anzac Parade in Canberra was completed.
Today, the main Australian War Memorial building houses some 20 galleries of exhibits depicting the Australian experience of war.
The main areas of the memorial include the Commemorative Area, Orientation Gallery, Hall of Valour, Bradbury Aircraft Hall, Anzac Hall, World Wars I and II, and Post-1945 Conflicts. The Sculpture Garden is a popular feature.
In accordance with a list of principles drawn up by Bean in the 1950s, the galleries "avoid glorification of war and boasting of victory" as well as avoiding the perpetration of enmity between victor and vanquished.
Born of World War I's Gallipoli Campaign and the Western Front -- which gave rise to annual Anzac Day commemorations in Australia and New Zealand — the Australian War Memorial has evolved through the years to what it is today: a Canberra monument and a museum which house the histories and relics of many wars and conflicts.
How it all began
After experiencing firsthand the savage battles of World War I, official Australian war correspondent Charles Bean — who went ashore with the Anzacs at Gallipoli that fateful day in 1915 — thought it only fitting that an Australian memorial museum should be established.
Becoming a World War I historian, Bean lobbied hard for the creation of the Australian War Memorial but the Depression years intervened and it was only in 1941 that the building which stands at the end of Anzac Parade in Canberra was completed.
Galleries of exhibits
Today, the main Australian War Memorial building houses some 20 galleries of exhibits depicting the Australian experience of war.
The main areas of the memorial include the Commemorative Area, Orientation Gallery, Hall of Valour, Bradbury Aircraft Hall, Anzac Hall, World Wars I and II, and Post-1945 Conflicts. The Sculpture Garden is a popular feature.
No glorification of war
In accordance with a list of principles drawn up by Bean in the 1950s, the galleries "avoid glorification of war and boasting of victory" as well as avoiding the perpetration of enmity between victor and vanquished.
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