Official Post-war Commemorations
Australians have long felt that people who die after a war from a condition resulting from serving our country in time of war or conflict are as deserving of official commemoration as those who die while on service in a war or conflict.
So it was that a War Cabinet decision of 10 March 1922 extended official commemoration to eligible [ 1] deaths after a war or conlict and this has become a policy adopted by subsequent Australian governments.
See: Eligibility for a post-war commemoration
There are now close to 300,000 official post-war commemorations at cemeteries, crematoria and Gardens of Remembrance in Australia, with thousands more veterans commemorated every year. Indeed, providing and maintaining these commemorations currently makes up the vast bulk of the workload of the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) [ 2].
See: Role of Office of Australian War Graves
The principles of equal, uniform, permanent and individual commemoration that govern official commemoration of our war dead also apply to post-war or conflict commemorations.
The commemoration is in the form of a memorial plaque, either:
- with the veteran's physical remains at the gravesite or crematorium, or
- in one of the specially created OAWG Gardens of Remembrance throughout Australia.
The choice is up to the veteran's next-of-kin or other interested person arranging the memorial. It is for them to decide which is the most appropriate form of commemoration in their particular case and where that commemoration is to be.
If you are deciding upon the post-war commemoration for a veteran, bear in mind that while the memorials are similar in many ways, there are some practical differences that may affect your choice. Please read through the information on the different types of memorials before making your decision.
If you are still unsure about which to choose, OAWG is happy to give what advice we can – just ask us.
See:
NSW Garden of Remembrance
Visitors reading plaques at an OAWG Garden of Remembrance