The Western Front, which ran across the industrial regions of France and Belgium, was one of the most important battlegrounds during the First World War.

It is where great battles were fought and where more than 295,000 Australians served between March 1916 and November 1918.

During those 33 months, more than 30 battles were fought, including Fromelles, the Somme, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele and Villers-Bretonneux. Australia’s losses on the Western Front were staggering, with more casualties in the first six weeks of our involvement than the entire eight-month Gallipoli campaign.

By the end of 1918, 46,000 Australians had lost their lives and 132,000 were wounded.