Established in Melbourne in 1991, Mostly Unsung provides a unique research facility into Australian Military History from the First Fleet to the present day. Headed by Lieutenant Colonel Neil C Smith, AM, Mostly Unsung specialises in genealogical and service aspects of former Australian and British Defence personnel.

    With over 24 years Australian Regular Army experience, Neil Smith understands military jargon, abbreviations and the various organisational and recording systems employed by the Army, Navy and Air Force. He has accrued a wide and useful experience in examining publicly available records so as to optimise the value of both personal and service details pertinent to individual and groups of Australian servicemen and women. Neil was nominated for the  Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance Medal in 2010 and is well known for his pre-recorded ANZAC Day historical pieces and parade commentary in Victoria on ABC TV plus radio work.

    Presentations often undertaken by Neil focus on understanding Australian military history and provide guidance on obtaining information required by family and other historians from sources located throughout Australia and the United Kingdom. Mostly Unsung's professional research service can unearth biographical and service data on individuals in far greater depth than the usual detail to be found in commonly available military records, Births, Deaths and Marriages records, Shipping Registers and the like. Other aspects of Australian military history such as honours and awards, unit movements and locations, internees, facilities, war crimes and the Merchant Marine are random examples illustrating the diversity of research available from Mostly Unsung.

    Mostly Unsung typically charges AUD $40 for a detailed report on an Australian service person and where lengthy research needs to be undertaken, hourly fees are charged. Depending on the research involved, fees starting at AUD $50 per hour can be expected. Mostly Unsung also offers a Canberra and London based research service (Charge usually up to 60 pounds per hour) and is well known in radio, TV, historical magazines and other media outlets. A half yearly catalogue is available on request (by post or E Mail) and research on individuals is presented in a unique and understandable manner with all biographical and service aspects covered together with detail of medals, movements, sickness, promotions, troopship names,  locations and battles regardless of how often a person served. Most research is completed in a week.

    In addition to client initiated research tasks, Mostly Unsung also researches and publishes on a range of Australian and British military history subjects. Resources available and examples published include regimental histories; Anglo Papuans in World War One; Alien Internees in Australia World War Two; medal rolls such as those for the Boer War, Crimea, Indian Mutiny, New Zealand Wars, Afghanistan 1878 and many more;  Victorian Military Force court martials pre-Federation; Australians and others in the Spanish Civil War, Royal Flying Corps non fatal casualties; King Edward's Horse Medal Rolls; Australians baptised on Gallipoli; Escapees From Singapore in 1942; Victorian Navy personnel; Prisoners of War; Australians with Irregular units in the Boer War; Australians serving with Allied nations and the North Russian Relief Force; Royal Australian Auxiliary Fleet Reserve, British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Japan) Army nominal roll; 'Special Operations' records for World War Two such as those for FELO and SOE; World War Two Army and RAAF unit movements, facilities, aliases, municipal honour rolls and unit nominal rolls.

 Our Boer War holdings are unique and include computerised medal entitlements for the  men and women of all Australian Contingents to the Boer War 1899-1902 (with many more than listed in 'Murray's'). Also held are copies of service papers for Irregular units such as Settle's Scouts, Orange River Scouts, Border Horse, Rand Rifles, Rhodesian Regiment, Transport Stock Riders, Eastern Province Mounted Rifles, Orpen's Light Horse and the Kaffrarian Rifles. Stacks of Australians are to be found in these largely over-looked records. Similarly countless rolls for units such as the Town Guards and NSW Lancers plus Hart's Army Lists for details of British and Colonial officers circa the Boer War. Other resources included the Field Intelligence Department records for the Boer War.

British Military Research. Neil and Sylvie Smith undertake British military research at The National Archives, Kew, London on a regular basis. The next visit is planned for late August 2012 .  Research tasks are welcome. The rate for a typical research task for a World War One or 19th century British service person is a very reasonable $70 maximum - payable like most of our research, on completion.

For information on publications which are currently stocked, most with detailed nominal rolls