Museum Victoria has a significant military collection that has been patiently assembled over more than 100 years. The collection includes items of international, Australian and Victorian military significance.
Deborah Tout-Smith, Senior Curator, Cultural Diversity, History and Technology Department, said that “The military collection is very special and was looked after for many decades by a dedicated curator. The last dedicated curator was Bill Billet, and before him Major Millet.” Today, Deborah and her colleague Senior Curator Dr Charlotte Smith are jointly responsible for the military history collection.
Dr Smith, Senior Curator, Public Life and Institutions, History and Technology Department, said that the last major exhibition of military collection occurred in 1991 and was titled ‘Present Arms’. “We are presently looking towards the centenary of World War I, and in the process of designing a major exhibition for 2014”, said Charlotte.
A small portion of the military collection is presently available to view on line. Go to the History and Technology Collection online at https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/ and enter “military” in the search bar to see over 2,100 items.
Contact Military History and Heritage Victoria about this article.
