Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries

27/10/2026

Anzac Square will be a buzz of activity in the leadup to Remembrance Day. View upcoming talks, installations and events on our website at: https://qld.pulse.ly/jepddo05k4

At 10:30 am on 8 November, we’re proud to host a talk by the Australian Remembrance Army. Guest speakers Cate Walker and Katrina Trevethan, the founders of ARA, will talk about their voluntary work and efforts to mark the unmarked graves of Australian Defence Force veterans. They’ll explain why so many veterans are buried without official markers, and discuss the research and practical work involved in identifying and commemorating them.

Australian military graves, photo taken by Daniel Downes, Office of Dr Christian Rowan MP, Assistant Minister to the Premier and Leader of the House.

23/10/2026

Today is United Nations Day. Commemorated annually on 24 October, the day marks the anniversary of the United Nations Charter coming into effect.

As World War II entered its final months, representatives from 50 countries gathered in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organisation. The purpose of the conference was to create the United Nations Charter. The founding document of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945, officially establishing the organisation. Initially comprised of 51 member states, and now numbering 193, the United Nations' role was, and remains, the maintenance of international peace and security.

In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly decided that United Nations Day would be commemorated annually on the anniversary of the Charter coming into force. The day was intended to 'be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for' its work. In 1971, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2782, declaring that United Nations Day should be observed as an international observance and recommending that member states mark the occasion as a public holiday. Traditionally, United Nations Day has been celebrated around the world through meetings, discussions, and exhibitions highlighting the achievements and goals of the organisation.

As a founding member, Australia has played an active role in the United Nations throughout the organisation's history. Australia has served on the United Nations Security Council five times, notably becoming the first country to hold the Presidency of the Security Council in 1946, and today ranks as the eleventh largest contributor to the United Nations' regular budget.

For more than 80 years, Australia has supported global efforts to build and restore peace by providing defence personnel, police, and civilians to United Nations missions and other multinational peace operations around the world. More recently, thousands of Australians have been deployed in anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Australia continues to engage actively with the United Nations to help ensure the organisation remains fit for purpose and capable of delivering on the objectives and principles set out in the United Nations Charter.

This image is provided under licence by the Commonwealth of Australia. Unauthorised use or reproduction of any Commonwealth of Australia materials is prohibited.

Corporal Mick Hansen building a sandcastle with a young orphan boy at Dili, East Timor, 2003, 31926, Troy Rodgers collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 31926-0001-0078.

22/10/2026

When World War I broke out in 1914, it brought significant economic suffering for many Australians. Embargoes upended global trade while simultaneously one of the nation’s worst recorded droughts hit southern Australia, reducing the availability of wool, meat and wheat – all major exports. To help pay for the war, the Commonwealth Government increased the note issue from some 9.5 million in 1914 to 52.5 million in 1918, which also increased inflation.
Within a year, the price of some common goods, such as bread and butter, had doubled. While the exact price of goods varied by locality and period, the average cost of groceries and rent within Australia increased by 71% and over 10% respectively between 1914-18. In Queensland, the unemployment rate amongst the unionised workforce more than quadrupled to 17.7%.

The Mount Morgan community were amongst those hit hard by the wartime downturn. The town had sprung up in the 1880s to house workers for the nearby mine and by 1911 had grown to a population of 9,772. The mine itself was one of the largest gold and copper mines in Australia (and at one time, the world), managed during the 1910s by the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co.
The township was reliant on waged work at the mine, with bars, schools and other facilities established to service the workers and their families. The mining work itself was physically demanding and often dangerous, with miners and smelters exposed to toxic gasses, mining dust and the threat of cave-ins. Despite these risks, pay was poor and opportunities for old, injured miners limited.

Mount Morgan suffered a blow in July 1914 when some 500 unskilled workers were dismissed due to a fall in global metal markets. Worse came later that year when the Commonwealth placed an embargo on gold exports, to ensure its reserve. The mine saw a reduction in income while the price of mining stores began to climb; increasing 222% over the course of the war. Wartime demand for copper helped offset these losses, but the overall situation left the company on reduced returns.

Displayed at the mine works company office, the Mount Morgan war loan ‘barometer’ provides some insight into the financial situation of different employees in 1917-18. Such barometers measured the contributions of workplaces and communities towards the national war loans, encouraging competition and thereby the purchase of war bonds.
Those working in the sinter plant, mine and construction made up nearly half the workforce but had the lowest rate of participation (8-18%) and lowest contribution per employee; the sinter at less than £1. These workers were unskilled, the lowest paid and most vulnerable to financial strain.
Departments which required technical or trade skills were better paid and participated at a rate of 24-30% with an average contribution between £3-8. This included the copper works, workshops, and electrical repairs.
The staff department, which included senior management, contributed at the highest rate with two thirds chipping in. The highest paid at the site, they could comfortably pledge 48% of the barometer total with an average contribution over £33, even as the mine suffered reduced returns.

Poor wages were among the many motivations for Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co employees to pursue military service. In 1914 alone, 420 men enlisted and the company established ‘probably one of the largest honour-boards in Australia’ in 1916 for its employees.
Many of these men did not return, leading to a widespread sense of grief and apathy. The 1916 words of Reverand James Heaton, the town’s Methodist minister, considered this loss against Mount Morgan’s fortunes: ‘Our town has given 800 or 900 men to the war. Our only return so far is the daily news of wounds and death.’

Mount Morgan Honour Board, 22 June 1916, Queensland Times, p. 4.
Miners working underground in the Mount Morgan Mine, 1903, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Members of the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company, Queensland, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 14077.
Page 27 of The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 19 October 1918, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Returned soldiers and sailors join the Peace Celebration Parade in Mount Morgan, 1919, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 14874.
Mount Morgan Mines complex, 1903, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

19/10/2026

Today is War Widows Day, commemorated annually on 19 October. It is an opportunity to recognise the sacrifice, resilience and contribution of war and defence widows and widowers. It is estimated that globally 3 to 4 million women became widows as a result of World War I, reshaping social structures, family economies and government welfare systems. This staggering number included Gertrude Beardsley Dean (nee Eaton), pictured here with her husband Ezra and their son John.

Gertrude, born in 1889 in Derbyshire, England, married Ezra in 1912. The same year Ezra migrated to Australia to work as a blacksmith in Chinchilla, Queensland, leaving behind Gertrude who was pregnant with their first child. In January 1914, Gertrude was reunited with Ezra after making the long journey to Australia with their infant son, John. Sadly, this small family would once again be separated with the outbreak of World War I.

In September 1915, Ezra enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces and was assigned to the 6th Field Company, Australian Engineers. He embarked on the A67 Orsova in March 1916, arriving at Alexandria, Egypt, the following month. Ezra was encamped at Tel-el-Kabir for a month before being transported across the Mediterranean to Marseilles, France. On 4 July he joined his unit, marching into one of the bloodiest campaigns in military history, the Battle of the Somme. Tragically less than a month later, on 31 July, he was severely wounded in action. He died the following day from shrapnel wounds to his chest.

Gertrude was now a widow with a 3-year-old son, living in a country with no family to assist her. She wrote to officials requesting that Ezra's personal belongings were returned as soon as possible as she desired to return to England with John. In 1919, Gertrude and John were finally able to travel to England. Later in life she returned to Australia living in Mackay, where she passed away in September 1972 at 82 years old. She never remarried.

Today we acknowledge and remember the experiences and sacrifices of war and defence widows and widowers, such as Gertrude. Lest we forget.

Ezra Dean with wife, Gertrude, and son, John Ezra, Chinchilla, Queensland, ca. 1915, Dalby Western Downs Regional Council, State Library of Queensland. Image no chi0088.

17/10/2026

Wanting to delve into the treasures and artifacts of World War I, but unsure where to start?

Have a go at using State Library of Queensland's Virtual Veterans AI guide.

'Virtual Veterans' is an AI tool designed to bring WWI history to life. A fictional WWI soldier named ‘Charlie’ will guide you through over 1.5 million words from letters and diaries held at State Library, as well as newspapers and official records from Trove and the Australian War Memorial. Choose a suggested topic or ask Charlie your own research question to discover more about one of the most pivotal times in Australian history.

Explore here: https://qld.pulse.ly/frkptekhkh

For teachers and schools, you can book your students into our free, life-streamed Virtual Veterans workshop on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Through a range of fun, hands-on activities, your students will learn how to use 'Charlie' to locate primary sources and unlock the experiences of Australians serving overseas and living on the home front during WWI.

Book now: https://qld.pulse.ly/4swxqxtjjy

Image: Solider in a field of poppies, generated by Midjourney V6.0.

Your AI guide to a rich collection of World War I resources

15/10/2026

‘Bullet Wound Right Chest Penetrating’ - Duncan Fulton Thompson Casualty Form.

Duncan Fulton Thompson was born on 14 March 1895 in Warwick, Queensland, the fourth of nine children of Charles Thompson and his wife Jane Elizabeth, née McLeod. Educated locally, Thompson would work at the Warwick Post Office and then the Australian Bank of Commerce. When the bank transferred him down to Sydney in 1916, he signed a deal with NSW Rugby League foundation club, North Sydney. Despite showing great ability, Thompson’s first season with the club was cut short when he returned to Queensland to enlist in the First Australian Imperial Forces.

Thompson had spent 5 years in the Citizen Forces before he enlisted in World War I. Joining on 20 September 1916, he was assigned to the 9th Reinforcements of the 49th Battalion. After a training stint in England, Thompson and the 9th Reinforcements joined the main unit in Ypres, Belgium. In early 1918, Allied forces had expected a major German offensive following the fall of Russia. The 49th Battalion was moved with the rest of the 4th Division in late March to defend positions around Dernancourt, where they were forced to repel a large German attack on 5 April. In the afternoon of the same day the 4th Division launched a critical counterattack. During the fighting Thomspon was shot through the right side of his chest, that resulted in his repatriation back to Australia. This should have ended his sporting career, and he was told as much.

Forced to carry a bullet fragment in his chest for the rest of his life, Thompson defied all odds and returned to Rugby League in 1919. Affectionately nicknamed ‘One Lung’ and 'the Wizard', he went on to represent Queensland eleven times and Australia on nine occasions. He even returned to North Sydney where he would be instrumental in helping the club win its only two premierships in 1921 and 1922. At the end of 1925 he retired from Rugby League yet continued to show his sporting prowess in his later life, he represented Queensland in tennis, had a golf handicap of three and played bowls for Toowoomba. In March 1923, Thompson resigned from the bank to set up a sports store in Toowoomba, where he released his own line of football boots and gave away cricket bats or tennis racquets to those doing it tough.

At the ripe at the age of 47 years and 7 months, Thompson enlisted as an amenities officer with the Second Australian Imperial Force during World War II. The role of an amenities officer was to maintain troop welfare, moral, and mental well-being. This was achieved by numerous means including ensuring soldiers had access to sporting equipment, organised recreation, and entertainment. Sent to Milne Bay in early 1943, Thompson contracted Dengue Fever within three days of being in New Guinea. He spent the rest of the year in New Guinea with a brief period of leave back in Townsville. His World War II service officially ended after a Leave of Absence on 14 March 1944 with his retirement and discharge from the Imperial Forces.

In the 1960 New Year Honours, Thompson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) ‘for services to the community in the field of Sport.’ Thompson later passed at Wesley Private Hospital, Auchenflower, on 17 May 1980. Posthumously he has been made a member of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame, the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century, the 100 Greatest Players for the 100th Anniversary of Rugby League in Australia and a stand named in his honour at Clive Berghofer stadium in Toowoomba.

D.F. Thompson, one of the soldiers photographed in The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 1917, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 702692-19170602-s0026-0024.

THOMPSON DUNCAN FULTON, QX35331, National Archives of Australia. Item ID 205322461.

Duncan Thompson, 7195 R**t Howell collection of Rugby League photographs Digitised copy print, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 165304.

Unbeaten Queensland Rugby League Representative Team, 1924, Melba Studios, Sydney, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 165296.

13/10/2026

The State Library’s collection includes a scrapbook created by Sergeant Lewis M. Miller, an American soldier stationed in Queensland during the World War II (WWII). The scrapbook highlights the places, people and moments Miller experienced during his time in Queensland and New Guinea.
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Sergeant Miller, from Reading, Pennsylvania, began his career in the U.S. Army in the early 1930s. He started as a Private at Fort Amador in the Panama Canal Zone, a narrow strip of land connecting North and South America. He then undertook training at Langley Field, Virginia, after joining the 38th Bomber Group in February 1941, and then at Jackson Army Air Base, Mississippi. He arrived in Australia in January 1942 as part of his unit’s ground echelon and moved around Queensland, working at various airfields until October of the same year. After his time in Queensland, he served in New Guinea until January 1945.
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Scrapbooking was a popular way of recording and preserving personal experiences during WWII. In the case of Miller's scrapbook, the album brings together a fascinating collection of memorabilia from his army service, with a particular focus on his time in Queensland. Among its contents are photographs, tourist postcards, sketches, menus and stamps, including images of the streets, landmarks and local people of Mackay. Miller had handwritten many of the names and addresses of these individuals.
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In particular, there are three sketches by Miller on postcards during his time in New Guinea that stand out as personal examples of his experiences of wartime service. Drawn in a loose, informal style, they depict servicemen around camp, revealing some of the conditions and activities that characterised everyday life in New Guinea. Miller was a cook for the 71st squadron, meaning he spent a lot of time at base operations and perhaps channelled his observations of camp life into these drawings. He includes local wildlife - mosquitoes and crocodiles- and puts his characters in humorous situations, such as being bailed up a tree by a crocodile, or lounging around dreaming of b**r while mosquitoes deliberate on the character's blood type.
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Unlike official military and service records, which tend to offer formal information such as duties, ranks and operations, Miller's scrapbook and these sketches offer a personal perspective that highlights the mundane, boredom and humour of everyday life. These aspects of service are absent from official records, making personal collections such as Miller’s valuable in revealing the human experience during wartime. Together, Miller’s collections of ephemera spotlight aspects of the Queensland identity during WWII and paint an intimate picture of the experiences that shaped his time in the South-West Pacific.

Postcards featuring sketches by Sergeant Miller and a American Red Cross Service Club Dinner Menu, 7949, Sergeant Miller scrapbook and album, State Library of Queensland.
Photographs taken of Mackay locals, including the Cobens, Nita Cummings and Lillian Dunne, 7949, Sergeant Miller scrapbook and album, State Library of Queensland.
Photographs of Mackay locals and their homes, 7949, Sergeant Miller scrapbook and album, State Library of Queensland.
Souvenirs and leaflets from the South West Pacific Area, 7949, Sergeant Miller scrapbook and album, State Library of Queensland.

11/10/2026

Thank you to everyone for attending today's free talk, Yvon's Great Adventure. This moving talk was presented by Peter Grose who shared his book about the extraordinary true story of how a French boy, Yvon Calmus, survived the final year of World War I and journeyed to Australia in the protective care of knockabout Australian soldiers. While the story is aimed at children, the tale surmounts age. It beautifully captured the personal relationships that formed during the war, many of which endured well beyond the Armistice. For those who attended it was a fascinating tale.

For those interested, we still have tickets available for our November talk. The Australian Remembrance Army: caring for military graves.
https://qld.pulse.ly/ueycc8udrl

10/10/2026

11 October 2026: 25th Anniversary of Australian service in Afghanistan

During Australia’s 20-year commitment in Afghanistan more than 35,000 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were deployed on operations. A month after the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, on October 11, 2001, Operation Slipper, the first of Australia’s military operations in Afghanistan was launched. The main aim of this mission was to defeat the Taliban, who had given refuge to the terrorist group Al-Quada, and support the Afghan people.

On 22 October 2001 the first Special Air Service (SAS) group was officially farewelled from Perth. Over time our commitment expanded to include infantry units, engineers, aviation assets and other support personnel from all 3 branches of the ADF. Our role also evolved to include protecting local communities from insurgent attacks, supporting Afghan Government institutions, training and mentoring Afghan security forces, helping improve local services and infrastructure and building trust between the communities and the new Afghan Government.

At the height of Operation Slipper, around 2009 to 2013, we had more than 1500 personnel deployed in some rotations with the majority serving in the southern Uruzgan Province around the Multinational Base in Tarin Kot. On 31 December 2014 the Operation Slipper phase of our commitment to Afghanistan officially ended. During this mission 41 ADF personnel were killed and 261 wounded. On Saturday 21 March those that served in Operation Slipper and the Afghan War were officially welcomed home in parades across the country. About 4,000 veterans marched through Brisbane, and the streets were lined with thousands of spectators showing their appreciation and gratitude for their service.

This was of course not the end of our commitment in Afghanistan. Operation Highroad continued our support of the NATO led Resolute Support Mission, at a time when Afghanistan took the lead for its own security. The ADF and their coalition partners worked alongside the Afghan National Defence & Security Forces as they established their own defense, security and counter terrorism forces. Our commitment during this time included between 250 and 300 personnel per rotation mainly in Kabul. On 15 April 2021, the Australian Government announced the ADF withdrawal from Afghanistan and by mid-June the process was reportedly complete. However, between 18 and 26 August a massive humanitarian airlift operation involving the evacuation of non-combatants took place. ‘Kabul Airlift’ involved hundreds of ADF personnel and government officials working together in Afghanistan, Canberra and the United Arab Emirates to evacuate around 4,100 people on 32 flights from Kabul.

Today we honour all those who served in Afghanistan and we remember the 41 lost in conflict and all those who suffered and continue to suffer from their service. To date the Australian War Memorial recognises 47 deaths attributed to the conflict. The other 6 includes a death in an accident and 5 self-inflicted deaths post service. Lest We Forget

This image is provided under licence by the Commonwealth of Australia. Unauthorised use or reproduction of any Commonwealth of Australia materials is prohibited.

Townsville soldiers man MAG 58 machine guns from inside a Bushmaster armoured vehicle in Afghanistan 2009, 31926, Troy Rodgers collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 31926-0001-0045.

Hamish Cairns Afghanistan and the Middle East Veteran Parade, 2015, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 29805-0001-0001.

08/10/2026

Do you remember the police drama Water Rats or have you binged NCIS: Sydney? Constable Percy Brooks was the real deal, spending over a decade in naval policing.

Born in Cooroy, Queensland, Percy Brooks (SERN R33375) enlisted into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as a Reservist in 1933, aged 18. At the outbreak of World War II, he was called up for fulltime service and underwent postings aboard the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMAS Kanimbla and Heavy Cruiser HMAS Shropshire.

‘I’ve always liked the seafaring life, so I suppose it’s not surprising I chose a Navy career. It’s a good life and it suits me well. I’ve served in a number of ships and seen a good deal of the world. My experience includes both peace-time and war-time service and during the war I was at the Biak, Hollandia, Sansapor and Morotai landings.’
- Brisbane Telegraph, 12 February 1952

Post-war, Percy remained with the navy and in 1951, while stationed in Brisbane at HMAS Moreton, transferred to the Royal Australian Fleet Reserve (RAFR) as a Chief Petty Officer. This was a reserve force for ratings who had seen at least 3 years of active service – Percy had 12 under his belt. Though largely confined to shore station postings, the RAFR presented an exciting opportunity when a vacancy opened in the Brisbane Naval Dockyard Police (NDP). Percy seized the chance and by September 1952 was training as a Constable at HMAS Kuttabul.

Established in July 1913 to protect Cockatoo Island Dockyard, the NDP were Australia’s first Naval Police force. They were conferred the legal powers of arrest, search and detention, and tasked with protecting shore depots, transmitting stations and other infrastructure. The force also trained with working dogs, conducted firefighting duties, and patrolled waterways (later adopting Shark Cats, like the Water Rats). In 1972, the service became an official branch of the RAN as the Naval Police before later being incorporated into the tri-service Joint Military Police of today.

Percy spent more than a decade with the NDP, primarily in Sydney at HMAS Kuttabul with stints at Moreton. During this period, some notable events for the NDP included interrupting car theft; the arrest of Ratings who had manoeuvred several launches for a potato attack on an officers’ party; standing down a revolver-armed mugger; and intercepting attempts to test dockyard security by journalists.
Percy Brook retired in 1963 after 30 years of naval service.

These images are provided under licence by the Commonwealth of Australia. Unauthorised use or reproduction of any Commonwealth of Australia materials is prohibited.

Portrait of Percy Brook in his naval uniform, 31926 Troy Rodgers Collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image No. 31926-0001-0105.
Navy for me every time, 12 February 1952, Brisbane Telegraph, p. 12.