New relics and old to feature when WWI War Memorial galleries reopen tomorrow

After a $32 million renovation, the Australian War Memorial's updated World War I galleries will reopen to the public tomorrow.

These popular displays closed two years ago for a major revamp ahead of the centenary of the Great War.

Historic items unseen for many years will be returning, together with newly-acquired items such as General Sir John Monash's uniform and medals, a 4.5-inch howitzer, and the Bullecourt tank - one of just two WWI German tanks in the world.

Also on display from Monday will be relics from the 2010 excavations at the site of the Pheasant Wood mass grave, where Australian and British soldiers killed in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles were interred.

Returning will be the dioramas of WWI battlefields - carefully constructed tableaux of particular battles crafted of plaster, newspaper, horsehair and chicken wire over a timber frame and featuring soldier figures cast from pewter and lead. Each figure is unique to a particular diorama.

Although dating from the 1920s, they remain extraordinarily popular despite the modern advent of interactive computer technology.

Their careful renovation involved removing 40 years' worth of accumulated dust and grime.

The gallery renovation is the War Memorial's major capital work for the centenary of Australian involvement in the conflict, in which 330,000 Australians served overseas and 62,000 died.