Indigenous Stories The Memorial is honoured to be able to share the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Brothers in arms Harold West and George Leonard were best mates who did everything together. 'Treated like an outcast' In late 1952, Desmond Parfitt attempted to order some sandwiches from a shop in the West Australian town of Williams. Despite the fact that he was wearing his uniform and service medals, he was refused service and “treated like an outcast”. 'It’s probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done' When Indigenous artist Megan Cope was asked to be an official war artist, she thought of her Uncle Dick, who was killed during the First World War. First Aboriginal commissioned officer – Reginald Saunders Many thousands of Australian Aboriginals have enlisted and served in Australia’s defence forces since 1901, and several have won decorations, but the first to be promoted to a commissioned rank was Reg Saunders of Victoria. Captured in paint - a 69 year old mystery solved. On 11 June 1945 the Official Australian War Artist Stella Bowen captured the image of an Australian soldier. One critical piece of information was never recorded - his name. Aboriginal presence on Gallipoli grows In 2014 the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soldiers who were known to be involved in the Gallipoli campaign stood at 50 men. Brothers in Arms and Aboriginal ANZAC Families The Australian War Memorial has recently added two names to the list of First World War servicemen: James Smale and Walter Edward Smale. The story of William Charles Westbury Aboriginal Soldier, The Boer War and First World War William was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, in 1878. Indigenous volunteers in the first AIF Those identified now number more than 1,000 Pagination First page « First Previous page ‹ Previous Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Current page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Next page Next › Last page Last » Last updated: 22 June 2021