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Merri-bek remembers World War I

Remembering World War I youngest soldier c1915August 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.

Thousands of people who lived in suburbs that make up today's City of Merri-bek participated in or died during World War I (1914 - 1918).

Remembering World War I exhibition

In April 2015 the library service launched an exhibition titled 'Moreland Remembers World War I' which is travelling around Merri-bek's libraries and other community spaces.

This visual exhibition consists of 20 banners outlining Merri-bek's War experience, both on the battlefront and on the home front.

Exhibition banners

If you are unable to visit the exhibition, you can download and view the banners.

If you are unable to view or download PDF files, you can download Moreland Remembers World War I banner text (DOC 76Kb).

Exhibition acknowledgements

The exhibition has been commissioned by Merri-bek City Council.

Funding support towards this project has been provided by the Australian Government Anzac Centenary Local Grant Program.

Support is also acknowledged from the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council - Anzac Centenary Community Grants.

Moreland City Council gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the following organisations in the development of the exhibition:

Australian War Memorial, Broadmeadows Historical Society, Brunswick Community History Group, Coburg Historical Society, Coburg RSL, Context Pty Ltd, Glenroy RSL, Kartia Designs, Merri-bek Libraries Advisory Committee, Merri-bek Reconciliation Advisory Committee, Merri-bek Turkish Association, National Archives of Australia, National Library of Australia, Pascoe Vale RSL, Public Records Office of Victoria and Koorie Records Unit, State Library of Victoria.

Moreland also gratefully acknowledges the special contribution of the following individuals:

Alan and Elayne Whatman, Anna Kurnuszko, Annette Sax, Associate Professor Clare Wright, Brian Kays, Cemal Akdeniz, Dr Bart Ziino, Dr Cheryl Griffin, Dr Georgia Melville, Dr Helen Doyle, Dr Kirsty Harris, Francesca Folk-Scolaro, Gary Murray and Tyson Lovett-Murray, Godfrey Camenzuli, Joy Elley, Ken White, Kerri Marshall, Laura Donati, Laurie Cunningham, Malcolm McIlvena, Nic Dolby, Paul Freestone, Thomas Parkinson and Tonya Lewis.

World War I resources and research

An overview of World War I is on Wikipedia.

You can read about Australia's role in the war at Australian War Memorial First World War 1914 - 1918 and State Library's Ergo Research Australian in World War One.

Victoria's role in World War I is explained in the History section of Anzac Centenary.

Many books on World War I will be located at 940 in the library. Specific aspects of the war will be located at different shelf locations.

You can search for books and DVDs about World War I in the library's catalogue. Type the following terms in the search box and select 'Subjects' from the Index menu.

  • World War, 1914 - 1918
  • World War, 1914 - 1918 - Australia
  • World War, 1914 -1918 - social aspects - Australia
  • World War, 1914 - 1918 - campaigns - Turkey - Gallipoli peninsula
  • World War, 1914 - 1918 - campaigns - Western Front
  • World War, 1914 - 1918 - fiction
  • World War, 1914 - 1918 - poetry
  • For junior material, add ‘juvenile literature’ in the subject search. You can also reduce the list of results in the 'Refine results menu' by format eg DVD or collection eg Junior non fiction.

Library members can also search Encyclopedia Britannica online, either at the library or at home. Enter your library card when prompted.

You can find articles in magazines and newspapers about World War I in resources on the eLibrary.

The 12-volume Official History of Australia in the War of 1914 - 1918 by Charles Bean published in the 1940s is available on the Australian War Memorial website.

Local resources

Local World War I memorials

Brunswick

  • Brunswick Town Hall Honour Board
  • Methodist Church Honour Board
  • Brunswick Tram Depot Honour Board
  • Brunswick Primary School Honour Board
  • Moreland State School Honour Board
  • Anglican Holy Trinity Church
  • Brunswick East Primary School Honour Board
  • VC William John Symons Memorial Tree, Reaburn Reserve

Coburg

  • Coburg Town Hall - foundation stone
  • Cenotaph, Bell Street (outside Merri-bek Civic Centre)
  • Coburg Town Hall Honour Board
  • Coburg Anglican Holy Trinity Church Honour Board, Book of Remembrance marble tablets, stained glass window, memorial hall, foundation stones, and communion rail
  • Coburg Lake Avenue of Honour. For more information about soldiers listed at the Avenue, contact the Coburg Historical Society.
  • Coburg State School Soldiers Book
  • Coburg State School Plaque
  • Coburg Baptist Church Honour Board
  • Coburg Football Club Honour Board, Coburg Historical Society
  • Coburg Harriers Honour Board, Coburg Historical Society
  • I.O.R. Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society
  • A.O.F. (Ancient Order of Foresters) Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society
  • West Coburg Methodist Church Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society
  • Coburg Rifle Club Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society
  • Coburg Church of Christ Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society
  • Coburg Lacrosse Club Roll of Honour, Coburg Historical Society

Glenroy

  • Glenroy Cenotaph, outside the Glenroy RSL
  • Westmeadows Monument, outside the Westmeadows Hall, Raleigh Street

Broadmeadows

  • Broadmeadows Monument, next to the Broadmeadows Museum, Pearcedale Parade

Pascoe Vale

  • War Memorial, Rogers Reserve

Researching World War I relatives

Researching Australians in the Great War
A series of videos from the Shrine of Remembrance.

Discovering Anzacs project
Aims to provide information about every Australian and New Zealand soldier who enlisted during World War I. Please note: This website has been decomissioned. An archived version is available. National Archives of Australia are exploring other ways to make this information available.

World War 1 - researching soldiers guide
State Library of Victoria guide to resources.

Family member, friend, or relative search
Australian War Memorial guide to resources.

Researching Defence Service records
National Archives of Australia guide to resources.

Office of Australian War Graves
Provides places to search for war graves information.

Indigenous Australians at War
Excellent list of links and stories, including World War I information.

You can also use Ancestry Library Edition at any Merri-bek City Library service point.

World War I links