Ben Roberts-Smith could be dealt another blow as Aussies make huge demand after his arrest - but not everyone agrees

Aussies have been divided over calls from historians to remove displays of Ben Roberts-Smith from the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial.

Some historians have labelled the Memorial's refusal to take down Roberts-Smith's uniform and equipment as 'disgraceful' after the former SAS corporal was charged with two counts of the war crime of murder and three counts of aiding or abetting the same charge in relation to alleged incidents in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012.

A spokesperson at the Australian War Memorial told Daily Mail that Roberts-Smith's memorabilia, which includes medals, would remain in place in its Hall of Valour, which honours recipients of the Victoria Cross.

'The Memorial acknowledges media reports of the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith,' the spokesperson said.

'Accordingly, the Memorial will review the wording of the interpretive panel associated with his display. The display of his uniform, equipment and medals remains in place.

'The Memorial will continue to monitor developments and consider updates as appropriate.'

Senior lecturer in Australian history at the University of NSW Michael McKernan, who was the deputy director at the museum in the 1990s, told the Sydney Morning Herald that keeping Roberts-Smith's uniform display up was 'ludicrous'.

'You can't leave it there. It's ludicrous. He is now charged with five murders. Let's get real – that's not good,' he said.

Aussies have been divided over calls from historians to remove displays of Ben Roberts-Smith from the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial 

Senior lecturer in Australian history at the University of NSW Michael McKernan has led calls for Roberts-Smith's uniform display to be taken down from the Hall of Valour

Uniforms of former Special Air Services (SAS) soldier Ben Roberts-Smith in an exhibit at the Australian War Memorial

'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.'

In June 2023, Roberts-Smith lost a landmark civil defamation case he brought against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times.

The Federal Court found that the news outlets had established the 'substantial truth' of several serious allegations to a civil standard, effectively branding him a war criminal.

Mr McKernan said the judge's findings were a serious blow to Roberts-Smith and that it was an 'utter disgrace' that the Memorial retained his displays in the Hall of Valour.

A panel next to the display also now incorrectly states the soldier 'has not been charged with any offence under criminal law'. 

UNSW Canberra Professor Peter Stanley, formerly the Memorial's principal historian, also backed Mr McKernan's calls to remove the displays from the Hall of Valour, and said it should instead be relocated to the Afghanistan exhibition.

'My position is clear and simple. The Roberts-Smith display should be moved out of the Hall of Valour into the Afghanistan gallery, so his story can be portrayed as one of the tragic consequences of Australia's involvement,' Prof. Stanley said. 

'I disagree with calls to remove the display. The Memorial shouldn't be a shrine to heroes - it should tell Australia's story honestly, and Roberts-Smith is a part of it. Removing the display would conceal the fact of his conduct.'

Professor Peter Stanley says Roberts-Smith displays should be moved to the Afghanistan exhibit at the Memorial 

Roberts-Smith poses for the cameras in front of his Victoria Cross at the Australian War Memorial in 2011

Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of murder in relation to alleged incidents in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012

Aussies hit back online, however, supporting the Memorial's stance.

'The uniform and the display in general should stay, regardless of the charges and the outcome. If, and it's a big If, he's found guilty, it should remain with amended information,' one person said on X.

'There is such a thing as the presumption of innocence in Australia…or there was,' another said.

'Whatever he allegedly did on other occasions does not change the fact that he did an act worthy of winning the VC. The two facts do not cancel each other out,' one wrote online.

Some however did agree with the historians.

'The Australian War Memorial still has this commemoration of alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith on display. When is the Australian War Memorial going to take it down as it's an absolute travesty,' one person wrote on X.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the Memorial's curators and governing council were responsible for display decisions and the government had 'no power' to change them.

'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.

One of Roberts-Smith's biggest supporters, businessman Kerry Stokes, bankrolled his defamation case against Nine and he also chaired the Memorial between 2015 and 2022.

Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated soldier, has maintained his innocence.

Dr Brianna Chesser, an associate professor in criminology and justice, told Daily Mail this week that it would be a challenging case to prove in court.

'Practically locating and compelling witnesses to give evidence is going to be difficult and there will likely be no access to crime scenes or to the remains of the (alleged) victims,' she said.