BURKE, Patrick Thomas

Patrick Thomas Burke was born in Launceston, Tasmania, the son of Patrick Burke and his wife Ellen, nee Vaughan. At the time he enlisted he was working as a salesman at Dimmeys Model Stores, 150-162 Swan St., Richmond. he must have been well-liked, because, hearing that he had been wounded, the store manager wrote to the authorities asking for news of him. 

Patrick Burke enlisted on 7 June, 1915. He had just married Helene Frances Parkinson, nee Tickell. She had previously married in 1911 to Joshua Francis George Parkinson and was, presumably, a widow. They lived at 6 Vale St., East Melbourne. Patrick Burke was called up on 18 June, 1915, and placed in the 7th Reinforcements for the 8th Battalion, 2nd Brigade. He was made Acting Corporal for the duration of the voyage when the group left Melbourne on HMAT Demosthenes A64 on 16 July and were taken on strength at Anzac on 23 November 1915. The new reinforcements were needed. In August, 1915, the 8th Battalion had been depleted at the battle of Lone Pine and had then been withdrawn to defend Anzac Cove until the evacuation in December, 1915. Patrick Burke had seen little of this: on 28 September, he had been admitted to hospital with severe diarrhoea, which kept him out of the action for a month. He was sent back to the Gallipoli Peninsula on 27 October, where he was admitted to the 5 Field Ambulance Station at Rest Gully, before finally joined the 8th battalion on 23 November, 1915.

With the evacuation completed in mid-December, the 8th battalion retreated to Egypt, where they camped at Serapeum. Here on 24 February, Patrick Burke was transferred over to the new 60th Battalion, newly formed in Egypt from recent recruits from Victoria and Anzac veterans as part of the doubling of the AIF. On 25 March, 1916, Burke was made Corporal and on 13 April, Lance Sergeant. In March, 1916, the battalion left Egypt for France on board the Kinfauns Castle, landing at Marseilles on 29 June, 1916. It had been the practice for newly arrived troops to be kept from th front unilt they had acclimatised, but the 60th battalion went straight into battle. From Marseilles, they moved by rail to the front and on 19 July, 1916, had their first encounter with the enemy at the disastrous battle of Fromelles.

It was at Fromelles that Patrick Burke was wounded, receiving a gunshot wound to his right under arm on 20 July. He was admitted the same day to the 25 General Hospital at Boulogne, then transferred on HS Jan Breydel back to England, where he was admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital. Two months later, on 26 September  he was  discharged to AIF Headquarters in London. From here, he went to the No. 1 Convalescent Depot at Perham Downs, then on leave, then to No. 2 Convalescent Depot. By now, he had been classified as unfit to fight and on 2 October, he boarded the Ulysses at Plymouth, landing in Melbourne on 12 April, 1917.

Patrick  and Helen Burke moved to Williamstown. They were both awarded a war pension on his return, his of six pounds, eight shillings, hers one pound seven shillings. These were reduced by half in January, 1918. By 1923, Patrick Burke was working as a draper in Douglas Parade, North Williamstown.  By 1943, they were living at 119 Victoria St., Williamstown and were still there in 1954. Patrick Burke died in 1981 and was then at Vine St. Newport.