BURKE, John
| Service Number: | 5041 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 47th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, June 1885 |
| Home Town: | Rockhampton, Rockhampton, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Caboolture War Veterans Home, Queensland, Australia, 11 September 1953, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5041, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5041, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of Victoria embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5041, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of Victoria, Sydney | |
| 23 Sep 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 5041, 47th Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, Medically discharged |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private John Burke (Service No. 5041), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
John Burke was born in 1885 at Rockhampton, Queensland, the son of John Burke and Elizabeth Burke (née Devlin). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 25 November 1915 and was allotted regimental number 5041. On 31 March 1916, he embarked from Sydney as a Private with the 15th Infantry Battalion aboard HMAT Star of Victoria. He disembarked in Egypt in May 1916 and proceeded to Tel-el-Kebir, where he was transferred to the 47th Battalion. In June 1916, he embarked for service with the British Expeditionary Force and arrived in France via Marseilles.
During his service on the Western Front, Burke experienced repeated periods of illness and hospitalisation. Between September and October 1916, he was admitted to hospital suffering from gastritis and was evacuated to England for treatment. He received medical care at several facilities in France and England, including Boulogne, Newport, Weymouth, Birmingham, and London, before returning to France and rejoining his battalion in February 1917.
On 7 June 1917, Burke was wounded in action in France, sustaining gunshot wounds to both legs and his right arm. He was evacuated to England for hospital treatment and later returned to duty. He was wounded in action for a second time on 28 March 1918, suffering a gunshot wound to the right hand, and was again evacuated to England. In addition to his battle wounds, he suffered from gastric ulceration, which required prolonged hospital treatment during 1917 and 1918. As a result of his medical condition, he was returned to Australia in mid-1918 and subsequently discharged from the Australian Imperial Force as medically unfit.
Private John Burke died at the Caboolture War Veterans Home on 11 September 1953, aged 68, and was buried three days later in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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