From Bank to Battlefield
Australia's Central Bank and the First World War
The First World War saw the emergence of central banking in Australia. These functions were originally performed by a part of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. In 1960 that part became the Reserve Bank. In the centenary years of the First World War, the Reserve Bank honours those Bank staff who enlisted in the ‘war to end all wars’ and those who helped found a national institution.
Featured Content
Centenary of Armistice
11 November 2018 marks the centenary of the signing of the Armistice that brought the First World War to an end. Members of the public are invited to a free tour of the Museum's exhibition, ‘Before Sunset’, on Monday, 12 November at 2.00 pm. Read details »
The female staff of the Commonwealth Bank forms a ‘Strong Post’ as they gather outside the Bank’s head office in Martin Place, Sydney, to cheer the returning troops and distribute cigarettes, flowers, cards and confectionary, 16 January 1919. PN-001385
Honour Roll
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Honor Roll was officially unveiled. The Honor Roll… contains the names of those 206…staff who enlisted
Letters from the Front
Even from the battlefields, staff were keen to hear of the progress of the Bank. And they shared significant experiences with the Governor.
Profiles
By the end of the war, a total of 206 Commonwealth Bank officers had made the same decision to serve. Learn more about their personal stories.
The Year of Anzac
The Gallipoli campaign lasted eight months and although it failed in its military objectives, it created a legacy which helped to shape the identity of the nation.
Managing the Bank in Times of War
Sir Denison Samuel King Miller was the first Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and played a significant role in the establishment of central banking in this country.
Visit of the Prince of Wales in 1920
At the Imperial War Conference in 1917, and again at the conference of overseas Prime Ministers in 1918, King George V had foreshadowed a visit to the Dominions by his eldest son, ‘when peace comes’.
Gallery
This selection of photographs from the Reserve Bank of Australia's archives documents aspects of the building of the Bank's head office, and the Bank's involvement in raising funds through the sale of War Loan Bonds, and then Peace Loan Bonds after the war's conclusion.
