Commemoration
The days on which the Air Force family stops to remember — what they mean, how the Association marks them, and where to stand with us.
Last Post Ceremony, Australian War Memorial · Image: Department of Defence, 20260512adf8630742_4190 (Jay Cronan)
Honouring our legacy
We promote and take part in every major national and state remembrance service, and we host commemorations of the Air Force’s own days.
The Association upholds the long and distinguished heritage of the Air Force, built on a culture of service and tradition. On the days below you will find members at the cenotaph, at Air Force memorials and in cathedrals across the country — laying wreaths, reading the Ode, and standing for those who cannot. Everyone is welcome to stand with us.
- Anzac Day
- Remembrance Day
- Battle of Britain Day
- VP Day
The commemorative year
The days we mark
In calendar order. The four days the Association marks nationally carry a photograph; the others are marked by Divisions or on significant anniversaries. The next day coming up is flagged.
-
26 February
Next · in 104 days
Association anniversary
On 26 February 1920, Australian Flying Corps veterans meeting in Melbourne agreed to form an association to keep their comrades together and support those who needed help. That meeting is the Association’s birthday — a year before the Air Force itself.
Our historyHow the Association marks it
Divisions mark the day at their first gathering of the year; the national office publishes the President’s anniversary message.
-
31 March
106th year
Air Force birthday
The Royal Australian Air Force was formed on 31 March 1921, the second independent air force in the world. Its birthday is the Air Force family’s own day of celebration and reflection.
Air Force birthday servicesHow the Association marks it
Sunset wreath-layings at Air Force memorials, Division dinners and, in South Australia, a service at the Torrens Parade Ground memorial.
-
25 April
112th year
Anzac Day
Anzac Day marks the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and honours every Australian who has served and died in war, conflict and peacekeeping. For the Air Force family it is also the day we remember the more than 11,000 Flying Corps and Air Force men and women lost on operations.
Anzac Day services and marchesHow the Association marks it
Members march under Association banners in every capital city and many towns. Divisions lay wreaths at the dawn services and state memorial services; Branches host the reunions that follow.
Image: Department of Defence, 20250425raaf8200818_0049 (FSGT Rob Hack) -
First Sunday in June
Annual
Bomber Command Commemorative Day
Some 10,000 Royal Australian Air Force personnel served with RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War; 3,486 did not return. The first Sunday in June is set aside for them.
Bomber Command servicesHow the Association marks it
The national service is at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra; AFA South Australia holds an annual service in Adelaide and Queensland joins the Amberley service.
-
15 August
82th year
Victory in the Pacific Day
On 15 August 1945 Japan accepted the Allied terms of surrender and the Second World War ended. VP Day remembers the end of the war closest to home — and the almost 40,000 Australians, more than 5,000 of them Air Force, who did not live to see it.
VP Day servicesHow the Association marks it
Divisions hold or join services at state memorials; on significant anniversaries the Association joins the national service at the Australian War Memorial.
Image: Department of Defence, 20200815adf8630742_8234 (Jay Cronan) -
18 August
61th year
Vietnam Veterans Day
The anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, 18 August 1966, is the day Australia remembers all who served in Vietnam. 9 Squadron’s Iroquois resupply of D Company under fire that night is part of the Air Force story.
Read: 9 Squadron at Long TanHow the Association marks it
Services at Vietnam memorials in each state, many organised with Vietnam veterans’ associations.
-
15 September
87th year
Battle of Britain Day
The 15th of September 1940 was the climax of the Battle of Britain, the air campaign that turned the course of the Second World War. Fewer than thirty-five Australians flew in it. Across the Commonwealth the day belongs to air forces — and to the Association it is the oldest commemoration of our own.
Battle of Britain servicesHow the Association marks it
Commemorative services in Hobart, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, several run by Divisions continuously since the 1940s. Hobart’s, begun in the 1980s, is now held at the Cenotaph.
Image: Department of Defence, 20260912raaf8667582_0364 (LACW Mikaela Fernlund) -
11 November
109th year
Remembrance Day
At 11am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent. The minute’s silence at the eleventh hour honours all who have died or suffered in wars and armed conflicts.
Remembrance Day servicesHow the Association marks it
Every Division holds or joins a service — at the RAAF Memorial Grove in Canberra, the Air Force memorials in Adelaide and Hobart, and cenotaphs across the country. Wear your medals; poppies are worn on the left.
Image: Department of Defence, 20241111raaf8660203_0003 (LAC Chris Tsakisiris)
Upcoming commemorative services
All commemorative eventsNo upcoming events at the moment — check back soon.
Divisions publish their own state and local services. Find your Division for the full list where you live.
Taking part
-
Wearing medals
Your own on the left, a relative’s on the right.
The Association’s guide to wearing awards and decorations covers medals, ribbons, miniatures and the Order of Australia — for serving members, veterans and families.
Guide to wearing awards -
Marching and laying wreaths
Join the Association’s contingent, or lay a wreath on behalf of a squadron.
Each Division coordinates its marchers and wreath-layers. Contact yours before Anzac Day and Remembrance Day to be included in the order of service.
Find your Division -
The stories behind the days
Read about the people and operations these days remember.
Battle of Britain pilots, Bomber Command crews, the Canberras and Iroquois of Vietnam — the Heritage archive holds their stories and service records.
Explore Heritage
Help us be there
Gifts and memberships are what keep welfare visits, advocacy and commemoration going in every state.