Our research journey from 2020.....
We began collaborating and researching war veterans' unmarked graves in Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane in 2020. In mid 2021, after many months of online research, archives visits, searching for a descendant to gain support/permission and field trips to confirm the graves were unmarked, we applied for a grant through the Marking First World War Private Graves Grants Pilot Program to mark 709 World War One returned services personnel buried in unmarked graves in Lutwyche Cemetery. Many of these men and a few women in unmarked graves were either buried as paupers by the then Repatriation Department (now DVA/OAWG), a large number were immigrants to Australia and had no family here, or their families could not afford a headstone to mark their grave if they did not qualify via the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or Office of Australian War Graves criteria.
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April 15 2023, 247 WWI returned service personnel plaques were unveiled in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, of whom 26 served our nation at Gallipoli, four were mentioned in dispatches, one awarded the Military Medal, one awarded the Military Cross, and one awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
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September 23 2023, 301 WWI returned service personnel plaques were unveiled in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, of whom 57 served our nation at Gallipoli, one was Mentioned in Dispatches, two awarded the Military Medal, with one recommendation to be awarded the Military Medal, one awarded the Military Cross and one awarded the Meritorious Service Medal
Because these men and women supposedly died of causes unrelated to their war service, they were ineligible for an official commemoration at the time of their death. See the criteria here https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/what-are-commonwealth-war-graves/ and here https://www.dva.gov.au/recognition/office-australian-war-graves/commemorate-our-war-dead/official-commemoration
We could not apply for further grant funding until our previous grant monies were acquitted. It has taken three years to draft all 709 plaques, have them manufactured and most installed. The government contributed $450 per plaque which was not enough to manufacture and install all the plaques. On February 19 2025 we were informed that our grant application (auspiced by Friends of Lutwyche Cemetery Inc.) for $35216.09 through the Queensland Remembers Grant Program to finalise the installation of the balance of the 709 plaques was successful:
In early 2025, we began researching a further 600 plus WWI unmarked graves in Toowong Cemetery, however the new funding of $105,000 per year over four years ($437,000 over four years at the new rate of $620 per plaque, previously $3.7 million over four years at $450 per plaque) will only allow for approximately 169 unmarked WWI graves nationwide to be marked each year over four years. At this rate, it will take a number of years to apply for grant funding for these graves.
On February 19 2025 we were informed that our grant application for $46864 to mark the graves of a further 84 WWI veterans buried in unmarked graves in Lutwyche Cemetery through the Marking First World War Private Graves Grants Program was successful. More than half of our latest grant fund application (108 out of 195 applications assessed by OAWG to date) have been accepted as Official Commemorations i.e., their circumstances fitted the OAWG’s criteria for official commemoration. This is of great concern and makes us wonder how many of these veterans in unmarked graves nationwide should have been official commemorations all along.
One of the biggest challenges we have faced was finding a cause of death which is a requirement for each veteran for the new application process. We have visited the Brisbane office of National Archives Australia (NAA) on numerous occasions to examine veterans’ medical files as only a very small percentage have been digitised by NAA.
Here is a link to the list of names of Australian World War One returned service personnel buried in Lutwyche Cemetery Brisbane whose graves we have received Federal and State Government grant funding to mark with a commemorative service plaque:
https://www.australianremembrancearmy.com/lutwyche-cemetery-brisbane-qld