Burns, Joseph
280 Warrant Officer II Joseph (Joe) Burns - 44th Battalion AIF
Joseph Burns was born in Glen Innes New South Wales in 1891 to George and Mary Burns however the name he was born under was Adolphus George Burns not Joseph. The family came to Western Australia a few years after Joe's birth, when he was five years old and set up residence in Broome Street North Fremantle. More children were born into the family with, John (1897), Dolly (1898), Olive (1901), Adrienne (1903) and Robert (1911).
Joe was educated at North Fremantle Primary School and after leaving school he took up employment with the WA Government Railways. By the time of the Great War Joseph was working as a Railway Guard, just prior to the Great War being transferred to Kalgoorlie.
Joe had tried to enlist in the early months of the war in 1914 but was rejected due to the middle finger of his right hand having been mutilated in a workplace accident. Joseph then went back to work at WAGR but he still wanted to enlist so tried again on the 31st January 1916.
This time the medical examiner passed Joseph as fit for service and recorded his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 10 inches;
Weight - 139lbs;
Chest Measurement - 30-34 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Hazel;
Hair - Dark Brown.
After his successful enlistment Joe was sent to Claremont Showgrounds Camp. He was then assigned to the newly forming 44th Battalion.
The 44th Battalion trained in WA, based at Claremont Camp, until the end of May 1916 when they were told to prepare for departure.
On June 6th 1916, they boarded H.M.A.T. “Suevic” in Fremantle Harbour and left for the journey to England.
Arriving at Plymouth on the 21st July 1916, the 44th Battalion were sent to the 3rd Division training camps on the Salisbury Plains, where they trained until November 1916. Joe was then promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. On the 25th November 1916 the 44th Battalion left England and arrived in France. They were initially sent to the region around Armentieres and spent the next few months in this sector.
On the 27th January 1917 Joe was promoted to Corporal.
In March 1917 Joe was sent to the 3rd Division School for instruction. This was for Non Commissioned Officers and would have helped Joe with his role in the 44th battalion.
On the 8th April 1917 Joe returned to his unit who were now in the Ploegsteert sector of Southern Belgium. They would remain here from April till May in preparation for the Battle of Messines which was to take place in June 1917.
On the 30th April Joe was given the temporary rank of Lance Sergeant while the current Lance Sergeant was on leave but reverted back to Corporal on the 5th May when his Lance Sergeant returned to duty.
Joe served in the Battle of Messines which began on June 7th 1917. He survived his units actions unscathed and again was appointed to the rank of Lance Sergeant. On the 6th August Joe was promoted to Sergeant.
In September 1917 the 44th Battalion headed for Ypres in Belgium to take part in the current offensive operations that were taking place there.
(Photo below was labelled a group of Fremantle mates in Paris - Joe Burns is back left - only two others are identified-Charlie Comben front left and Fred Renner back right)
The 44th Battalion saw action on the 4th October 1917 at Zonnebeke near Hill 40 and Joe came through the action safely. The 44th Battalion then held the front line and on October 12th 1917 when the attack on Passchendaele went ahead, the Australian 9th Brigade came through the 44th battalion position to go forward in the attack. Subsequently the Germans plastered the area with shellfire.
Joes was wounded when shrapnel struck him in the scalp. After medical treatment at the Field Ambulance, Joe was sent to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He had further treatment there and was then put on an Ambulance Train which took him to the French town of Abbeville. He was then admitted to the 2nd Stationary Hospital. He only had four days here and was then sent to the 5th Convalescent Camp which was also in Abbeville.
Abbeville is a pretty French town located on the Somme River and about 20 km from the French coast so was an ideal place for a convalescent camp.
On the 6th November 1917 Joe was well enough to return to his unit but first had to go through to the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot Camp at Rouelles. He had another few weeks here but eventually rejoined the 44th Battalion on the 22nd November 1917.
The 44th Battalion would spend December 1917 to March 1918 holding the line in Belgium between Ypres and Messines. In January 1918 Joe was promoted to Company Sergeant Major.
On the 21st March 1918 the Germans launched their massive breakthrough of the Third & fifth British Armies. The 44th Battalion as part of the 3rd Division were immediately sent down to the Somme to try and stop the Germans advance. The 44th came into action with the Germans on the 28th March near Sailly-le-Sec and Sailly Laurette and were able to halt the advance on their front. The next few months were spent in repelling the German attacks and trying to capture territory off the Germans.
On the 15th April 1918 at Sailly-le-Sec Joe was wounded by shrapnel in the right arm and leg and was taken to the 11th Field Ambulance for treatment. He was then sent to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station and was then put on an ambulance train and was sent to Abbeville.
Joe was admitted to the 3rd Australian General Hospital where surgery on his wounds was undertaken. Joe spent the next eight days at the 3rd AGH and was then shipped off to England.
On arrival in England Joe was admitted to Guildford War Hospital. He was a patient here for the next two months. On the 20th June 1916 he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. He was here till the 6th July 1918 when he was transferred to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott.
Joe was at this camp till the 26th August 1918 when he was transferred to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth. Due to his wounds Joe would be returned home to Australia, but he would be in England for the next few months while he regained better health.
On the 12th December 1918 Joe boarded the transport ship Nestor and set sail for home, arriving at Fremantle on the 18th January 1919.
Joe's brother William had also served in the war with the 28th Battalion and had returned to WA in 1917.
On his return home to WA Joe was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for further medical treatment. In February 1919 he was transferred to No.18 Auxiliary Hospital in Mounts Bay Road Perth. On the 25th March 1919 he was then returned to No.8 AGH.
Joe was discharged from the AIF on the 2nd May 1919.
After the Great War Joe resumed employment with the WA Government Railways but in the mid 1920's moved to the Fremantle Harbour Trust.
Sadly, Joe did not live long after the Great War, dying at Fremantle Hospital on the 20th July 1930 aged just 39. He was survived by his wife Ellen Louise Burns and three daughters, Vera, Myrtle and Patricia.
The Daily News 25th July 1930 edition had an obituary, part of which read;
Joe was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Anglican MON A3 0856