CANBERRA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Australia’s overseas war graves will receive modern makeovers under an initiative being undertaken by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The project will see interactive displays installed and tours launched at cemeteries where Australians who died fighting in World War I and World War II are buried.
The CWGC has appealed to the public for information about the Australians buried at the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta where the project will first be instituted.
More than 400 Australians died in Malta during the two world wars. A memorial service has been held at Pieta Military Cemetery on Anzac Day, Australia and New Zealand’s national day of remembrance for troops, sine 1979.
Max Dutton, the CWGC's assistant historian, told News Corp Australia on Thursday that the commission wanted to use technology to better engage the public.
“The organization as a whole is changing and we are not just an organization that maintains the graves now,” he said.
“Our cemeteries always look beautiful and particularly in Malta but all too often there is nobody there and those wandering about don’t know what they are seeing and are missing out.
“We don’t think that’s good enough any more and we are looking at lots of people to go and visit these men and women in these cemeteries and crowd sourcing is a fantastic way to highlight the individuals who are actually buried there.”
He said that the appeal for information, which was issued earlier in April, has already paid dividends with Australian families having come forward with stories about their relatives buried in Malta.
“The crowd sourcing project aims to bring together lots of stories tucked away, photographs of loved ones and relatives in attics and drawers and mantle pieces, we want them to digitise those and send them to us so we can share and remember the guys who were commemorated in Malta,” Dutton said.
