Sir John Monash Centre

Australian involvement on the Western Front

Australia’s most significant contribution to victory in the First World War was made on the Western Front in France and Belgium between 1916 and 1918. More than 295,000 Australians served on the Front, some 46,000 lost their lives and another 130,000 were wounded.

In the words of Professor Robin Prior, it’s the only time when our forces have engaged the main enemy on the main battlefront and made an appreciable difference to the outcome.

Sir John Monash Centre

This international standard interpretive centre, designed by Cox Architecture (a Sydney led international firm),is currently under construction to the rear of the Australian National Memorial,nearVillers-Bretonneux, France.

The heart of the Centre will be a leading-edge multimedia experience (designedby Convergence Associates, a Melbourne based company, and produced by Canberra based WildBear Entertainment) that provides an evocative, emotional, informative, and educational experience for visitors of all nationalities.

The Centre has the strong support of local, regional and national French authorities.

The Australian National Memorial nearVillers-Bretonneux bears the names of over 10,700 Australians who died in France in the First World War and who have no known grave. The 27 ‘Battle Honours’ recorded on the Memorial represent the greatest achievements of Australians on the Western Front, as decided by Australian veterans of the First World War.

Locating the Sir John Monash Centre at the site of ournational memorial continues a tradition established by other Commonwealth nations, with Britain, Canada and South Africa having also sited visitor centres at their national memorials in France.

When complete, the Sir John Monash Centre will educate a new audience about Australia’s early role in international affairs, reshape patterns of visitation of the battlefields and in so doing, provide a lasting international legacy from the Centenary of Anzac.

Sir John Monash

General Sir John Monash led the Australian Corps with outstanding success through much of 1918. An innovative tactician and meticulous planner, his famous 4 July 1918 victory at Le Hamel became the template for the larger operations that followed.

Australian Remembrance Trail

The Centre will be the central hub of the existing AustralianRemembrance Trail (the Trail) alongthe Western Front. Developed in partnership with French and Belgian local and regional authorities, the Trail links First World War sites of significance to Australia, including museums, battlefields, memorials, and cemeteries. It is supported by extensive online resources available at

Fast Facts

Sir John Monash Centre

  • Building designby Cox Architecture, interpretive design by
    Convergence Associates.
  • Approximately 1,000 square metres with an interpretive area of 483
    square metres.
  • A partially subterranean building with a turf roof will preserve battlefield
    views.
  • Construction company Bouygues Bâtiment Grand Ouestcommenced
    worksin January 2016,withthe Centre tobe open by Anzac Day 2018.
  • The Centre will have an integrated multimedia experience that will
    provide a compelling story of Australia’s service on the Western Front.

Australian Remembrance Trail sites

  • Ieper (Ypres), Belgium
  • Zonnebeke/Passchendaele, Belgium
  • Ploegsteert, Belgium
  • Fromelles, France
  • Bullecourt, France
  • Pozières, France
  • Vignacourt, France
  • Villers-Bretonneux, France
  • Dernancourt, France
  • Le Hamel, France
  • Péronne/Mont St Quentin, France

More information

  • Sir John Monash Centre:
  • Australian Remembrance Trail along the Western Front:

  • Anzac Day commemorations: