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Senior historians and former leaders have accused the Australian War Memorial of undermining its commitment to historical truth in its refusal to remove or relocate its Ben Roberts-Smith display in the museum’s Hall of Valour.
In a move one prominent historian described as “disgraceful” and “ludicrous”, the memorial has said it will keep Roberts-Smith’s uniform and equipment on display in its Hall of Valour indefinitely, following the former SAS corporal being charged with five counts of murder over his actions in Afghanistan.
In the Hall of Valour – which honours recipients of the highest award for bravery in wartime, the Victoria Cross – Roberts-Smith’s military uniform and helmet remain on display, alongside that of another warrior.
In a statement, a spokeswoman confirmed the institution would only “review the wording” of an interpretive panel next to the display while monitoring developments and considering updates “as appropriate”.
The panel – which has been updated several times as Roberts-Smith brought and then lost defamation proceedings against this masthead – notes, now incorrectly, that Roberts-Smith “has not been charged with any offence under criminal law”.
Michael McKernan, a senior lecturer in Australian history at the University of NSW and deputy director at the memorial in the 1990s, said Australia should no longer celebrate Roberts-Smith and that his uniform display should be taken from the Hall of Valour.
“You can’t leave it there – it’s ludicrous. I mean, he is now charged with five murders; let’s get real – that’s not good,” he said, calling for urgent action.
“He has every right to be considered innocent until found guilty, but the full bench of the Federal Court of Australia upheld that, on the balance of civil probability, he is a war criminal.”
McKernan said when that decision came out, the memorial should have said: “‘OK, we can find many other heroes from Afghanistan to celebrate.’ It’s a serious thing when a judge says something as direct as that. It is an utter disgrace, and the war memorial has lost its head over Ben Roberts-Smith.”
Peter Stanley, former principal historian at the memorial and a UNSW Canberra professor, warned the nation’s commitment to honesty should impel the institution to acknowledge the actions of defence personnel, whatever they may be.
He said the war memorial should move the Ben Roberts-Smith display into the Afghanistan gallery.
“So we can see the consequences of Australia’s involvement in the conflict,” he said, adding that the associated interpretive panel needed to accurately describe what had unfolded relating to the soldier. “Just tell the truth,” he said.
University of Canberra historian Frank Bongiorno said the Australian War Memorial “deploys a very kind of nationalist framing – it is a kind of temple to Anzac really”. He said there was a strong sense that the war memorial was “a kind of repository of sacred national stories”.
“That was particularly elevated under [former director] Brendan Nelson. It’s not an ordinary museum in that sense; it’s part-memorial, part-museum, and really a national shrine,” he said.
“And I think that that makes this kind of process, involving a previously venerated Victoria Cross winner, a far more difficult thing for the war memorial.”
In 2018, Nelson said the media’s pursuit of Roberts-Smith was an attempt to “tear down our heroes” and that “unless there have been the most egregious breaches of laws of armed conflict, we should leave it all alone”.
Nelson, who is now a senior vice-president at Boeing, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Boeing is a corporate partner of the Australian War Memorial.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh – whose portfolio includes oversight of the Australian War Memorial – said the museum’s curators and governing council were responsible for display decisions.
“It is the job of the Australian War Memorial to tell the full story of war and conflict, including displays that may be controversial or provoke disagreement and debate,” he said. “The government has no power over curatorial decisions, which are judgments appropriately made by the Australian War Memorial’s curatorial staff overseen by the council.”
Roberts-Smith’s medals at the war memorial also remain in an online display, as do other commendations, which does not note any issues raised around his behaviour.
The institution’s treatment of Roberts-Smith’s legacy has long been controversial; some of his biggest supporters previously ran the memorial. Western Australian businessman Kerry Stokes bankrolled Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against this masthead and also chaired the memorial from 2015 to 2022.
On Wednesday inside the memorial in Canberra, few visitors stopped to look at the Roberts-Smith display – but for those who did, there were two reactions. Those unaware of Tuesday’s developments or of Roberts-Smith’s history commented on the soldier’s enormous stature – Roberts-Smith stands at almost two metres tall. One visitor turned to his friend and said: “That’s a big boy.”
Some of those aware of developments quietly questioned why the display was still up. “He’s just been arrested,” a man said to his partner.
When a visitor asked a guide why the display hadn’t been altered, she offered what sounded like a well-rehearsed line. “The whole situation is under review,” she said, informing the visitor that there had been a meeting about the display. “It’s not like we can put a piece of paper or sticky tape on it.”
