Australian War MemorialPrint Page

The Australian War Memorial is Australia`s national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organizations who have died in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Australian War Memorial consists of four major elements: ANZAC Parade, a commemorative area, a museum, and a sculpture garden.

The Australian War Memorial at Canberra, symbol of a young nation's courage and sacrifice, was officially opened yesterday. The impressive service of tribute to the deathless army which placed the seal on Australian nationhood came to its climax when the Governor - General (Lord Gowrie) closed a switch, and the great bronze doors of the memorial swung silently open. Thus, an ideal conceived on the battlefields of the Old World had been realised and the splendid monument of the Empire's youngest capital became the property of the Australian people. Before the great shrine in white sandstone at the foot of Mt. Ainslie, an assembly of 5,000 people participated in a ceremony made more deeply solemn by the significance of Armistice Day. 

"This memorial contains a complete record of the first great crisis in Australian history," said the Prime Minister (Mr. Curtin). "In it are the accounts of innumerable acts of heroism the story of an unquenchable faith. It is the sanctuary of Australia's traditions. The Australian War Memorial would not only house the relics of war but would keep alive the sacrifices and services which were the cornerstone of a peoples' greatness."
Excerpts from opening ceremony,
The Canberra Times (ACT), 12th November 1941.

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Dedication