Other Sources of Information
There are many sources of information that may assist someone researching the military service of an ancestor. I have found these sources to be useful at different times.
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If your ancestor served in the Australian Army, this page on the Australian Army website may provide some guidance www.army.gov.au/about-us/history-and-research/researching-family-history.
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Also relating to Army service, the Mostly Unsung website www.mostlyunsung.com.au has some publications that may assist.
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Australian War Memorial (www.awm.gov.au) holds records of many conflicts that Australia has been involved in. On their homepage, click on ‘People’ and try a search with your ancestor’s name and details. Sometimes a photograph or other illustration will be revealed.
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Wikipedia. Although not an authoritative source of information, Wikipedia can be useful for getting a brief history of RAAF units, including the aircraft they flew and their locations at different times.
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Medals and Awards. The Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet maintains a database of honours and awards that have been made to Australians, www.pmc.gov.au/honours-and-symbols/australian-honours-system/searching-australian-honours. Note that this does not include campaign medals that were awarded to men and women who served during times of conflict.
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The Dept of Defence Honours and Awards branch website www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards has all the criteria for qualifying for a medal and also explains how families can apply for their ancestor’s medals if they were not awarded when the Air Force member was alive.
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This organisation is responsible for maintaining graves and memorials of men and women of British Commonwealth countries who died in either World War I or World War II. A search of their website, www.cwgc.org, will tell you the location of your ancestor’s grave or memorial, if one exists. On the website, click on ‘Find Records’ then on ‘Find War Dead’.
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Commercial family history companies such as ancestory.com and findmypast.com may be able to provide you with information about your ancestor, particularly if they did not serve in a combat zone.