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A War Widows Honour Roll has been launched to coincide with War Widows Day 2025 this weekend.
War Widows Day, held on 19 October, recognises and honours the courage, resilience and sacrifice of Australia’s war widows, those women who have carried the burden of service and supported veterans and communities throughout their lives.
This year, the Australian War Widows launched the honour roll community-led tribute to bring awareness to the often-overlooked sacrifices of war widows and their families.
Members of the public can honour sacrifices made and share their stories through the War Widows Honour Roll as an opportunity for families to publicly acknowledge the widows who shaped them, preserving stories for future generations.
“It creates visibility for widows whose sacrifices are often hidden and builds awareness that there are still over 31,000 surviving war widows and widowers in Australia,” according to Australian War Widows.
“The War Widows Honour Roll is a living record where families and friends can share a tribute to a war widow in their lives ensuring that they are honoured and remembered.
“Each entry reflects the lasting impact of their courage, care and contribution. Veteran families history is Australia’s history. This year, our community can honour and remember the war widows in their lives by adding their story to the War Widows Honour Roll.
An Australian War Widows Craft Guild was originally established in 22 November 1945, which would later become the War Widows’ Guild of Australia.
From its inception, the guild was a powerful advocate for war widows. The organisation successfully lobbying governments for improved pensions, housing, children’s allowances and healthcare benefits, and even built self-care units for war widows across several states.
The organisation officially changed its name in 2020 to Australian War Widows, reflecting a desire to acknowledge and support a broader range of women who had lost partners due to war and defence service, regardless of the nature of their partner’s passing.
In 2022, the first War Widows Day was commemorated in Queensland and NSW. In the following years, this day was recognised in the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria. On 19 October 2025, War Widows Day will recognise the 80th anniversary of the founding of the organisation.
