9.1 - R.S.L. & Sub-Branch

12 Million Anzac Records Available Online

In time for the Anzac Centenary, family history website Ancestry and the National Archives of Australia are making available more than 12 million Anzac military records online. It includes the personal service dossiers for those who served during WWI in the Australian Imperial Force, Australian Flying Corps and Australian Army Nursing Service.

Ancestry content director Ben Mercer said previously there were 500,000 Australian WWI records on the website.

"This collection is our first significant Australian WWI collection," he said. "It's the first of many significant collections we'll be taking to the community with the National Archives of Australia."

Mr Mercer said the records would help shed light on Australia's war history, including critical events such as the Battle of Fromelles.

Maritime Heritage

With its rugged coastline and large inland rivers, NSW has an extraordinary maritime heritage. The state contains 1800 historic shipwrecks, including: a World War One battlecruiser, HMAS Australia (1910-1924), a Japanese type A midget submarine, M24 (1942), Scottish clipper ships, colonial trading vessels, steamships and harbour craft. Other maritime infrastructure includes the remains of: ports, shipyards, coastal defences, lighthouses and cemeteries.

• Maritime Heritage

• Australian Maritime Museum

• Midget Sub M24 (Sydney Harbour)

• WWII Japanese Map - Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga Bay (ABC News)

Note: The first Australian ship sunk during World War II was the Hesperus, torpedoed off the mouth of Coffs Creek (Coffs Coast Advocate 1940).