The idea of the Australian War Memorial first sprung to Charles Bean, when he imagined the souvenirs collected by soldiers upon the battlefield being displayed in a museum for the nation to observe. As the war progressed to the Western Front in 1916 and the casualties rose, this idea developed into a collective memorial to commemorate the multitude of lost lives in the Great War for the nation to reflect on.
In November 1916, the suggestion was brought to Australian Minister for Defence, Senator Pearce, by Bean. To Pearce, this memorial would be favourable in order to appease the state governments and their demand for relics and commemoration of their troops. In 1917, 16th of May, preparations began, with the Australian War Records Section,…show more content… In 1941, the government included World War 2 into the memorial, and since 1952 all Australian wars, such as the Gulf War and peace-keeping operations, were to be included into the Australian War Memorial, in recognition of all the military efforts of the country. Presently, the memorial is still attentive for new events to be recorded into Australian history.
With a rapidly expanding collection to include all wars, space inside the building was diminishing. In 1971, the eastern and western wings were built to accommodate the First and Second World Wars. Content for this memorial developed to include art, photography and film displayed in a gallery, and official records of the units in a library. Without space for all things, some remnants of the 2nd World War were to be sold or disposed of, such as fragments of an…show more content… Within a few years, the sufficient number of staff and funding was met to support existing projects and launch new ones. With the introduction of a new act, the Australian War Memorial would gain power and control over its own affairs. It was a period of great change in the use of this institute, with many ideas for new projects to enhance their scholarly profile and effect on Australian military history. Examples of initiatives taken by the institute include a Research Grants Scheme and an annual history conference to help generate new ideas regarding history and