The square-shaped codes, normalised during Victoria's pandemic check-ins, will be used for the first time in Ballarat's cemeteries on plaques to identify and link to biographies of WWI men who had, until now, lain in barren graves.

Ballarat-based memorial plaque maker Sally Kennedy said this potentially opened a huge shift to how loved ones and key identities in the region might be remembered with links possible to websites, tribute walls or social media pages.

And people were more familiar with the technology, thanks to check-in use.

The codes will feature on 19 plaques to identify WWI servicemen, including five in Ballarat Old Cemetery, along with their age when they died, where they served and a Rising Sun badge to signify WWI service.

Ms Kennedy led the Australian War Graves project in partnership with Ballarat Cemeteries and said there was a real pride to be involved.

"I'm really excited to provide these men with a memorial plaque, not just as brave soldiers but as stories for the whole community," Ms Kennedy said.

"These were young men who lived in Armstrong Street, went to schools children still go to in Ballarat, they might have been butchers, some were 16 when they went to war where they fought and were injured. These are more than just their plaques; these are memorials."

Ms Kennedy said such history about these men helped future generations to understand the war and war's impact on the community - and there was great potential to expand on other stories that might otherwise be buried in mediums such as pamphlets, or merely forgotten.

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Ballarat war researcher Garry Snowden is the Arch of Victory and Avenue of Honour committee president. Mr Snowden said sharing the stories of men who had served was proof they were men, not "robots", and the QR codes were a way people could learn more about such history as they explored the cemeteries.

"Over the years I've become interested and passionate about servicemen who were no different to me - they were just born at a time in history when they were called on to serve," Mr Snowden said.

In researching stories for QR codes to link to on Ballarat Cemeteries' website, Mr Snowden has found Prisoner of War William Maloney who was captured in France in April 1917.

There were men who served at Gallipoli in Turkey, such as George Wallace who joined the Royal Flying Corps, or Egypt or France.

There were men who were wounded in action and died soon after returning home, such as James Fawcett, who sustained a depressed skull fracture from a shrapnel wound.

Now their stories can finally be told.

BARROW, Percy Archer

BATTY, Joseph Edward

BLEE, Charles Henry

DAW, Arthur Leslie

EDWARDS, Albert Hector

FAWCETT, James Martin

FOOTE, Hubert Gordon

HASTIE, James Thomas

HORGAN, Robert James

MALONEY, William

RICHARDS, Edward

TUDOR, Christopher William

VALE, Alfred John

WALLACE, George Hamilton

COGHLAN, Kevin Joseph

COGHLAN MM, William Maurice

JOHNSON, Donald

McGREGOR John Davies

WESTCOTT, William Garnet

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