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| Nominal Roll of the Australian Imperial Force | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nominal Roll of the Australian Imperial Force |
| Country | Australia |
| Period | 1914–1921 |
| Type | Service record index |
Nominal Roll of the Australian Imperial Force is a compiled index of personnel who served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. It functions as a central access point to service details for individuals who enlisted from states such as New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. The Roll interfaces with institutional collections from Australian War Memorial, National Archives of Australia, and regimental histories tied to formations like the 1st Division and the ANZAC contingents.
The Roll was produced to document enlistment, unit affiliation, and service outcomes for personnel who served with formations engaged in campaigns including the Gallipoli campaign, the Western Front, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, and operations related to the East African Campaign. It supports research into personnel who served under commanders such as William Birdwood, John Monash, and Thomas Blamey, and aids identification of individuals associated with battles like the Battle of Fromelles, Battle of Pozieres, and Battle of Beersheba. The stated purpose aligns with preservation priorities of institutions such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and archival mandates of the National Library of Australia.
Compilation drew on original service dossiers, embarkation rolls, casualty lists, and unit nominal rolls created by administrative bodies including the Australian Army, the Department of Defence (Australia), and base depots at locations like Broadmeadows, Victoria and Larkhill. Source documents included attestation forms, medical records, and repatriation files from tribunals such as the Repatriation Commission (Australia). Complementary material came from overseas holdings like the British National Archives and colonial records in repositories such as the Public Record Office Victoria.
Entries typically record full name, service number, rank, unit, date of enlistment, date of embarkation, theatre of service, wounds, decorations like the Victoria Cross or the Military Medal, and date and cause of death where applicable. The Roll references units from brigades such as the 3rd Brigade and corps-level formations like the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It indexes individuals notable for links with figures including Cyril Bassett, Albert Jacka, Harry Murray and veterans who later entered public life in institutions like the Parliament of Australia.
The Roll is accessible through institutional catalogues maintained by the Australian War Memorial and online portals operated by the National Archives of Australia. Printed and microfilmed copies were distributed to state libraries including the State Library of New South Wales and the State Library Victoria. Digitisation projects have enabled cross-referencing with collections held by the Imperial War Museums and databases used by genealogy services associated with societies such as the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the Genealogical Society of Queensland.
Researchers in biography, social history, and unit studies use the Roll to trace service histories of individuals connected to events like the Battle of Lone Pine, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the Battle of Amiens. It has informed commemorations at sites such as the Avenue of Honour, casualty studies tied to memorials like the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, and legal claims managed by agencies like the Repatriation Commission (Australia). Historians referencing figures such as William Massey or operations involving the Royal Flying Corps have utilized the Roll for corroboration.
The Roll inherits limitations from primary sources: transcription errors, incomplete dossiers, and inconsistencies in reporting for personnel detached to formations such as the Royal Naval Division or seconded to Commonwealth forces like the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Variants in name spelling, aliases, and service-number reassignments complicate linkage with medals, pension files, and postwar records in collections like the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and state registries. Users cross-check with attestation papers, embarkation lists, and unit war diaries held at the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial to resolve discrepancies.