BURGESS, John Bruce
| Service Number: | 1600 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1918 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 36th Heavy Artillery Group |
| Born: | Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia, 28 January 1899 |
| Home Town: | Fairfield, Fairfield, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Optometrist |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Longueville, New South Wales, Australia, 23 September 1988, aged 89 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Fairfield Uniting Church WW1 Honour Roll, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 1600, 36th Heavy Artillery Group | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct 1918: | Involvement Gunner, 1600, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Wyreema embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 14 Oct 1918: | Embarked Gunner, 1600, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, SS Wyreema, Sydney | |
| 5 Jan 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 1600, 36th Heavy Artillery Group |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
John Bruce Burgess was born in Cootamundra NSW, on the 28th of January 1899 to Presbyterians Robert Burgess and Rebecca Jane Burgess (1). Not much could be found on his early life, apart from his schooling in Sydney Technical High School where he stayed until year nine, leaving midway presumably to work (2). He moved to Fairfield and worked at a bank clerk (3).
He enlisted in the AIF on the 28th of August 1918, at the age of 19 years and 4 months in South Head joining the 36th Heavy Artillery Group’s 21st Reinforcements becoming a Gunner (4). He departed from Sydney on the HMAS Wyreema, on the 14th of October 1918 (5) planning to join the Heavy Artillery Group which had been participating in action separately from the rest of the AIF, spending most of their time around Arras, and Vimey in France, and further into Flanders as part of the British Corps Artillery(6).
But as the war ended he didn’t have the chance to participate, disembarking the Wyreema, getting recalled on the 21st of December 1918, and discharged from the military on the 5th of January, 1919.
After the war, Burgess had settled down and had a family. He studied to become an Optometrist and moved to Croydon. On the 30th of June 1923, he married Hazel Helliand at a church in Summer Hill (8). They had 2 children, Cliff and Barbara Burgess, and then moved again to 84 Austin Street, Lane Cove. Later on, he had 4 grandchildren, Valda, Lindsey, June, and Gordon, and a great grandchild. He peacefully passed away at the age of 89 on the 23rd of September, 1988 in a hospital late of Longueville and was cremated (9), “Deaths: John Burgess, September 28 1988, peacefully at hospital, late of Longueville. Loving father of Barbara and Cliff… privately cremated”. He is commemorated on the Fairfield Uniting Church World War 1 Honour Roll, and the Sydney Technical High School Honour Roll (10).
References:
(6)https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/270 (/explore/units/270)
(10)https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/351757 (/explore/people/351757)
Bibliography:
Ken Stevenson: Google Drive Research (drive.google.com)
Virtual War Memorial: John Bruce Burgess (/explore/people/351757)
Virtual War Memorial: 36th Heavy Artillery Group (/explore/units/270)
My Heritage: John Bruce Burgess (www.myheritage.com)