To mark our 80th anniversary, we have been collecting 80 years of stories, 80 years of war widows connecting with each other and supporting one another. This month, as we also mark War Widows Day on 19 October, there is no better time to invite war widows, their families and friends to add to this collection by paying tribute to a war widow they have known and love on our War Widows Honour Roll.

Behind every war widow is a story 

Ruby Terry stood by her husband Rupert, a Fifth Battalion veteran who carried the wounds of World War I. She understood what service had cost him. “Ruby was his rock,” her family remembers.

Margaret Tanner was 29 when her husband Noel died, leaving her a war widow and a sole parent to their young son. She lived independently until well into her 100s, supported by family and friends. 

Elizabeth Wright cared for her husband Reg, a wartime pilot, through the lifelong effects of his service. After he passed, she found her feet among other war widows. At 93 she put up her hand to coordinate the Chatswood Social Club, and did so until she was well into her 100s so the ladies could continue to meet each month.

Joan Adams raised three children while her husband Ross lived with the impact of his war service, at a time when families were expected to keep challenges to themselves. She cared for Ross until his death.

These are four of the many stories on the War Widows Honour Roll. There are thousands more to be told.

A living record of war widows’ stories

The War Widows Honour Roll is a living record where war widows, families and friends can add the name and story of a war widow in their lives, so her story is preserved for future generations.

To mark the anniversary, we are gathering 80 years of stories, a collection of memories from across our community. This is the opportunity for you to share your story, and an opportunity to honour our mothers, grandmothers, or a war widow we once knew. The stories we share help preserve what our war widows have built, and reminds the country why remembering them matters.

Why sharing our war widows stories matter

More than 28,000 war widows and widowers live across Australia, including more than 8,000 in NSW. Behind every one of them is a story of love, service, grief, resilience, friendship and empowerment. These thousands of women deserve to be honoured.

Our story began in 1946 with Jessie Vasey CBE OBE and a room of war widows who refused to be overlooked and forgotten. This story has lasted 80 years within every single war widow in Australia. Much of their stories were never written down.

Today we are fortunate enough to be able to preserve these stories and honour these thousands of war widows across Australia properly.

How to add a story to the Honour Roll

• Visit the War Widows Honour Roll and select ‘share a story’.

• Share only what you want to share. A story can be a few lines or several pages, and it does not need to be polished. Attach a photo of who you are honouring if you would like.

• If you would rather talk it through, or need a hand putting it on paper, call us on (02) 9267 6577 and we will help.

War Widows Day is on Monday 19 October 2026. It is a day to recognise the courage, resilience and contribution of Australia’s war widows, and this year marks the fifth War Widows Day in NSW. 

It also falls in the Guild’s 80th anniversary. To mark the milestone, this year’s War Widows Day pin has a special design. Only 250 have been made. 

As it has every year, the pin gives every Australian a simple way to honour war widows and the families whose lives were shaped by service and sacrifice. 

What the War Widows Day pin means 

The War Widows Day pin is an act of remembrance you can wear. It honours the sacrifices made by war widows, widowers, and families of our veterans, and makes visible a sacrifice that often goes unseen. 

More than 28,000 war widows and widowers live across Australia, and more than 8,000 in NSW. Behind every number is a story of love, service, grief and resilience. Behind every veteran’s service is a family whose life was shaped by it too. 

Anyone can wear the pin, on a lapel, jacket or bag. It shows solidarity with the war widow community and often starts a conversation. When you wear the pin, you carry our war widows stories into your community. 

Why the wattle? 

Golden wattle is Australia’s national floral emblem. Its link to service also runs deep. During the First World War, sprigs of wattle were pressed and sent to wounded Australian soldiers overseas as a reminder of home. Pressed wattle were also buried with fallen soldiers far from Australia. 

More than a century on, the wattle connects those generations with today’s war widows and families. It mirrors the sprigs laid at War Widows Day commemorations. It stands for resilience, strength, endurance and renewal, and reflects both personal grief and national remembrance. 

A special design for the Guild’s 80th year 

Each year’s War Widows Day pin carries the familiar golden wattle and the year it was made. For 2026, the pin has a special design to mark the Guild’s 80th anniversary. Using a wattle slightly different this year and marked “War Widows Day 2026” as a special edition for this year.  

Only 250 pins have been made, so we encourage you to order early. 

Three ways to take part this War Widows Day 

1. Wear the pin. Order the 2026 War Widows Day pin from our shop. Every purchase supports our services for war widows. 

2. Add a story to the War Widows Honour Roll. The War Widows Honour Roll is a living record. Add the name and story of a war widow in your life so her legacy is preserved for future generations. Every story becomes part of “80 years of stories”. 

3. Join us at the Sydney service on Monday 26 October. This year the service is held a week after War Widows Day. We gather at the Cenotaph, Martin Place, at 10:30 am. To register, call (02) 9867 6577 or email guild@fov.org.au. 

Honour their sacrifice. Share their story.