All veterans who served in the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army or the Royal Australian Air Force are entitled to have their Service emblem/badge inscribed on their private memorial. Veterans who served in the Merchant Navy are entitled to inscribe a Merchant Navy badge. However, for copyright reasons, permission to inscribe a badge must first be obtained from the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG). Section 83 of the Defence Act 1903 (Cth) delegates authority to the Director of War Graves to approve the use of a Service emblem on privately erected memorials for individuals.
This on-line facility has been developed to assist in obtaining the necessary letter of permission to use the Service Badge on the commemoration/memorial of a deceased veteran. Veterans may wish to print a letter of permission for placement with their personal papers. Families, cemeteries and crematoria are also able to print permission letters without delays when a veteran passes. The facility to print a letter of permission is available for each veteran listed on this Nominal Roll. The letter provided will reflect the Badge and Service number for the veteran's war service. The letter is designed to be printed on a standard A4 page. If your letter seems too small, please adjust the page settings in your internet browser.
This letter can be used to acknowledge the Service of a veteran on a privately arranged memorial in a cemetery or crematorium. Foundries and monumental masons will not inscribe a Service emblem without this permission.
Permission can be printed for all veterans on this Nominal Roll whether alive or deceased.
For help with letters of permission please contact wargraves@dva.gov.au or 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).
Written requests for permission to use Australian badges or emblems other than those of the Navy, Army and Air Force, for example the badge of a particular Corps such as the Artillery, in any publication (including on a memorial) should be directed to the Department of Defence:
Defence Community Organisation (DCO)DGPERS-AR8-9-026Russell OfficesCANBERRA ACT 2600
Permission to use emblems of foreign services should be sought from the relevant Embassy or High Commission.