Returned First World War veterans buried in unmarked graves will receive the recognition they deserve after a $108,000 funding allocation by the Federal Government.

The Marking (First World War) Private Graves (MPG) Grants Program provides up to $620 per grave to install markers honouring the service of veterans who were often buried without headstones due to a lack of family or funds.

More than 330,000 Australians served in the Great War, with over 270,000 returning home. Many were later buried in unmarked graves, a situation Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the government is determined to address.

“Every Australian who served in the First World War deserves to be commemorated in a manner befitting their service,” he said.

The program’s last funding round provided markers for 182 private graves, including that of Martin Riley, a Longreach serviceman who returned home after the war and was buried without a headstone following his death on Tuesday, November 20, 1928.

Applications are now open to families, ex-service organisations and community groups to help ensure veterans’ service is not forgotten.