Remembrance Day services will underline the dwindling number of Australian Second World War veterans this Wednesday, with just 528 survivors recorded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as of November 2.
The day marks the moment at 11am on November 11, 1918, when the guns fell silent on the Western Front after more than four years of fighting in the First World War. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month has since become a symbol of remembrance.
Australians are urged to observe one minute’s silence at 11am to honour those who have died or suffered in the country’s wars and armed conflicts.
Remembrance Day services mark a generation passing
The Second World War began only 21 years after the armistice, bringing six years of conflict, sacrifice and hardship. Australia itself came under direct attack, with towns bombed, air-raid shelters dug in school grounds and fears of invasion taking hold.
Almost one million Australians served between 1939 and 1945, fighting Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as Japan in south-east Asia and across other parts of the Pacific.
More than 30,000 Australian servicemen were taken prisoner and more than 39,000 were killed. Those who met the demands of the war are widely known as the “greatest generation”, and later helped rebuild the nation.
Their numbers at Remembrance Day services now reflect the passage of time. The decline of the surviving veterans marks the closing of an extraordinary chapter in Australia’s history.
But the country’s defence story has continued through conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who served, along with their families, have faced lasting consequences, and veterans still struggling with the aftermath of their service must receive the support they need.
The role of the Australian Defence Force extends beyond current debates over inquiries, budgets and defence properties. Its service has remained central to the nation’s existence.
The Returned & Services League has said the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, a message that remains relevant as Australia considers an uncertain future.
Among those attending the services will be representatives of allies, including the US and Royal navies. They are described as two cornerstones of the AUKUS defence alliance on which Australia will rely in the years ahead.
