BURLEY, Rexford

Rexford Burley or Burleigh was born in Stanley, Tasmania. He was the son of Louisa Agnes Burley. b.1881,but no father is listed on the certificate of birth. On his death certificate, his grandparents are listed as his parents, William Matthew Burley, while the mother was recorded as Harriet Blizzard. In the death notices placed in The Argus of 6/12/1943, under the name Rexford Burley, he is recorded as the 'fond brother of Neil and Katy'. In fact, they were his mother's siblings. Another brother, William Thomas Burley, signed up for the war in 1916 and was killed at the front. Prior to the war, Louisa, Kate (Kit) b. 1878,  Harriet Eliza b. 1885 (aka Ellen or Nell) and Thomas Matthew,  lived at 94 Vale St., East Melbourne..

The other 'mystery' is his birth. On his enlistment form in 1915, he claimed to be 18 and 6 months old, which would make his year of birth about March, 1897, but his birth certificate lists him as born  on 13 December, 1900, so that he was only 14 years and 9 months old when he enlisted, was sent  to Broadmeadows on on 29 September to train.  This seems extraordinary, but his height at this time was 5' 10", unusually tall for this period, so he may have fooled the recruiters. At the time he married, on 30 April, 1919, he claimed to be 22, and an engineer by profession, though in fact, he can have been only 19, while his bride, Elizabeth (Lila) Lyons, claimed also to be 22, though she was only 18. Nor was he ever an engineer, working throughout his life as a labourer, a cutter and, in 1942, a mechanic. They were to have four children, Keith, Ross, Louise and Rex. 

On 2 December, 1915, Rex Burley was placed in the 1-8 Reinforcements, 23rd Battalion, and left for England on board HMAT Afric A19  on 5 January, 1916. After a brief period of training, he left for France and was sent to the front to join the 23rd Battalion already fighting. By July, they were at the front line in the battle of Pozieres and it was here, on  28 July, 1916, that Rex Burley was wounded for the first time, with gunshot wounds to the right thigh and shoulder. He was sent to a Casualty Clearing Station at the front and then transferred to hospital at Wimereux. He remained in hospital for nearly four months, before marching in to Etaples to rejoin his battalion on late October. Here he went absent without leave from 31 October to 2 November, when he was picked up by the military police nd returned to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples. Here, on 6 November, 1916, he was sentenced  14 days' field punishment and the loss of 17 days pay, a harsh sentence for a boy not yet sixteen. Field punishment meant being placed in fetters or handcuffs and attached to a wheel or post in the open, to stand for a period not exceeeding two hours on nay one day. The punishment could not exceed three days in continuity. The other altertanive field punishment was hard labour.

From jail, he seems to have been returned to the Base Depot at Etaples, where he caught mumps on on 30 December and was placed in the 18th General Hospital until 19 January, 1917. Here he committed another offence and was charged with disobeying orders, for which he was sentenced to another 23 days field punishment and 23 days' pay. By this time,the German Army was retreating to the Hindenburg Line, with the allied forces pushing them back at the Somme. Having rejoined the 23rd Battalion, Rex Burley was wounded for the second time on 30 May, with a gunshot wound to the leg, though he would seem to have been in hospital for a week before being back  with the troops.

On 6 June, 1917, Rexford Burley marched in from Rouen to the front to rejoin the 23rd Battalion. On 4 July, he was again missing, absenting himself from Dental Parade after being duly warned on 3 July, for which he received a forfeit of 21 days' pay. On 14 July, he rejoined his battalion but on 20 July, was again absent, this time from afternoon parade. He was sentenced to 20 days Field Punishment and forfeited 16 days' pay. Then, on 19 September, he deserted his unit on their way to the front. This was a most serious breach of duty, for which he was tried and found guilty. 

Lieutenant W.J. Clayden, 23rd Battalion. bore witness to the incident: Accused is a member of my platoon on the 19th Sept. 1917 about 7 pm we left Belcian Chateau en route for the front line. Just before entering Ypes I saw accused in the platon but on checking the platoon along Menin Rd. at about 8.45 pm, I found accused absent. He was absent during the whole of the tour of duty in the line and I next saw him in Dorgivion Camp on the morning of 24th September after the battalion had been relieved. Before we left Belcian Chateau on the way up the line, I warned the Platoon for duty in the front line trenches. I did not give the accused permission to fall out

On 22 October, 1917, Rexford Burley was sentenced to 10 years' jail and sent to the military prison at Abancourt. The sentence was later commuted to five, and then two years. Finally on 18 May, 1918, the unexpired portion of the sentence was suspended and Burley was sent back to fight. he was wounded for the third time on 4 July, 1918, sent to the military hospital at Frensham Hill, England,  with a bullet wound to his left hand. When he left hospital, he ran away again, and this time was charged with an offence, in that he 'neglected to obey R.O.719 re bounds' and was given another two days' field patrol. 

Rexford Burley was returned to Australia on HT Runic D 23 on 23 October, 1918. In true style, he slipped off the ship at Fremantle, but then was deposited in Melbourne on 24 February, 1919, and on 24 February was discharged from further service, declared medically unfit. He had been in the army for nearly four years and was still only 19 himself. He retured to Lila, and they stayed together until at least 1937. By 1942, however, they were living separately, with Rex at Glenhuntly, working as a mechanic. He died in Fitzroy on 1943, aged 43 and is buried at Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton, Victoria.