BURNETT, Edward James
| Service Number: | 1943 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1915, Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Warrnambool, Vic., 1893 |
| Home Town: | Tumby Bay, Tumby Bay, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Poonindie Public School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Port Lincoln, Port Lincoln City, South Australia, Australia, 29 April 1975, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Happy Valley Cemetery, Port Lincoln RSL Section |
| Memorials: | Port Lincoln Poonindie School Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1943, 9th Light Horse Regiment, Adelaide, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 1943, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 1943, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Warilda, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Edward James Burnett was born in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia on the 5th of April 1893. His mother, Agnes Burnett, was unmarried and Edward was raised by his grandparents. Before signing up, his occupation was a labourer. He was single and did not have any children. He was 5 feet and 3 1/4 inches tall and weighed 117 pounds with fair skin, blue eyes and brown hair.
Edward James Burnett enlisted for the war in Adelaide in October 1915. Initially upon signing up, he joined the 14th Reinforcement in the 9th Light Horse Regiment.
On the 10th of February 1916 Edward embarked on the HMAT Warilda in Adelaide as a Private in the 9th Light Horse Regiment. From Australia, he sailed up to the Suez Canal to Heliopolis, Egypt. He arrived in March where he then went to Alexandria in April and taken on strength with 14th Field Artillery and was reposted to the 53rd battalion and mustered on as a driver.
Eventually he travelled to Marseilles, France, where the 53rd battalion disembarked at the end of June and began making their way to the Western Front.
By early July, Edward and his battalion had reached the western front and would stay there until they began fighting in the Battle of Fromelles between July 19th and 20th, 1916. Edward's role as a gunner in this battle would have using artillery pieces (including field guns and heavy guns), along with trench mortars and machine guns to support infantry and inflict damage on enemy positions. During this time, the battalion suffered 600 casualties with Edward fortunate enough to survive this.
In August 1916 Edward was appointed as Acting Bombardier.
Towards the end of October, 1916, he was admitted to hospital and shortly rejoined his unit in the field after a week.
On January 10th in 1917, he again was admitted to the New Zealand Stationary Hospital in Wisques, France, this time with tonsilitis and then additionally diagnosed with influenza. He returned to duty at Amiens, France on the 18th January 1917.
In September he took leave from 24th September until 7th October. He requested to revert to the rank of gunner 15th November 1918 and took further leave in England at the end of the month.
Edward James Burnett's service return was officially marked as 'returning to Australia” on the 5th of April of 1919.
He continued working as a labourer after arriving in Adelaide from Durham, England, on July 17, 1919, unwounded or ill.
After the war he married Lulu Sarah Parker in Charlton, South Australia. He later passed away on April 29 1975 in Port Lincoln, South Australia, and the cause of his death is unknown. He was buried in the Happy Valley Cemetery, Port Lincoln, Australia.
Bibliography
Ancestory 2025, Photo of Edward James Burnett sitting cross armed in a suit, viewed 8 April 2025, <https://www.ancestry.com>.
Australian War Memorial 2010, Anzac spirit | The Australian War Memorial, Australian War Memorial, viewed 7 April 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit>.
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Terrace, V 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, viewed 7 April 2025, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3171462>.
Virtual War Memorial 2025, Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History, Vwma.org.au, viewed 7 April 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/projects/173960/edit>.
Wikipedia 2020, Attack at Fromelles, Wikipedia, viewed 7 April 2025, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_at_Fromelles>.
2024, 53rd Battalion (Australia), Wikipedia, viewed 7 April 2025, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/53rd_Battalion_(Australia)>.
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