The Roll of Honour on the walls of the loggia of the Soldiers Memorial Institute in Pall Mall, Bendigo was unveiled on ANZAC Day 1926. It contains the names of 2,972 people from Bendigo and surrounding areas who served in World War One.
It was the second Roll created in Bendigo. The first was collated by Bendigo City Council in 1917. Installation began in December 1917 and the Roll remained in place in the gardens between the Soldiers Memorial Institute and what was then called Williamson Street extension until it was removed by Council in July 1925.
The interval of up to nine years between names being put forward for inclusion on the interim Honour Roll in 1917, and the permanent Honour Roll being unveiled in 1926, resulted in the roll not providing a comprehensive list of the names of all those from Bendigo and surrounding areas who served in World War One.
Some of those listed on the Bendigo Honour Roll are known to have served with Allied forces including American, British, New Zealand and South African forces. More importantly:
The permanent Honour Roll unveiled on ANZAC Day 1926 did not identify those who paid
the Supreme Sacrifice as a result of their service.
Research undertaken in the last five years has identified 499 persons who died, whose names are included on the Honour Roll at the Soldiers Memorial Institute. Their places of burial or memorial are recognised at 158 cemeteries or memorials in eleven countries.
Of these, 180 have no known grave. At Villers-Bretonneux 72 are recognised, while 61 are recognised at Menin Gate and 43 on various memorials at Gallipoli. The remaining four are recognised on memorials in England and Israel.
The recognition of their service and sacrifice is the main object of this website.
Although many others from Bendigo and surrounding areas died during or as a result of their service, they have been deemed to be outside the scope of this particular project as their names were not included on the Roll of Honour.
In addition, many of those who returned home from World War One, sick, wounded or suffering from shell shock or being gassed, died in the decade after the war having been cared for in Repatriation Hospitals and institutions for many years. Their details are difficult to find and may well form an additional project in the future.
Bendigo District RSL is extremely grateful for the valuable contribution made by Ian and Janet Milnes of Victor Harbor RSL who have spent considerable time and effort in France and Belgium in 2017 photographing some 250 individual graves and 116 cemeteries on our behalf. In addition they have also photographed the relevant sections of the Memorials at Villers-Bretonneux and Menin Gate.
Our thanks also to Steve Rogers of The War Graves Photographic Project for his assistance.
Every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on this site, however any inaccuracies brought to our attention will be amended. Also we would welcome contributions of individual photographs to fill any gaps remaining.