Allan Frederick Burke MBE, MM - Otago Regiment

1889 Jul 16 Born Bordertown, South Australia, Australia (Dob is same in NZ records and Manchester)

1914 Dec 15. Enlisted in NZ. When he enlisted he was a surfaceman on the N Z Railways. His Mother was Mrs C F Glader of Belair, S Australia

1915 Apr 17. Posted away from NZ

1915 Jun 8. Lands at Dardenelles

1915 Aug 19. Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. Wounded , transferred to hospital

1915 Sep 22. Reaches hospital in UK

1916 Jan 11. Returns to active service. Rejoins unit in Ismailia, Egypt.

1916 Apr 2. Promoted Sgt

1916 Apr 8. Embarks in Alexandria for France.

1916 May 6. Reverts to Private at own request.

1916 Sep 12. Awarded 7 days Field Punishment no1 for being drunk

1916 Oct 9 Awarded 42 days Field Punishment no1 for refusing to obey an order.

1916 Nov 28 Wounded and sent back to UK hospital

1917 Jun 26 married in Liverpool to Irene Dolan

1917 Sep 7. Appointed Cook. Still a Private

1918 May 25. He stops being a cook on this date, so no longer entitled to cooks pay

1918 May 25. Granted rank of Temp Sgt while on special duty. Posted to Tower of London , Instructional Staff

1918 Jun 16. Left Newcastle for Murmansk on "City of Marseilles"

Admitted to Hospital, Murmansk, 26 June 1918 (influenza); discharged 27 June 1918.

1918 Aug 3. Reaches Archangel after being in hospital in Murmansk

1919 Aug 25. Transferred from NZ forces to UK forces

1918 Sep 25. MM for bravery in the field (Gazetted 10 Jan 1919) in North Russia

1918 Oct 15. Discharged from NZEF and transferred to Imperial Forces with effect from 15 October 1918.

1918 Oct 16. The undermentioned to be temp. 2nd Lts. whilst spec, empld. Sgt A F Burke, New Zealand Infantry

1918 Dec 30. Dyer died of influenza. Captain R.C Dyer DCM, MM and Bar 8th Btn Manitoba Regt Canadian Infantry was in command of the 2nd battalion Slavo-British Legion, and Burke was Adjutant. Burke appears to have taken over command.

With the influx of recruits from Archangel gaol the Slavo-British Legion was expanded to include a 2nd Battalion, later dubbed “Burke’s” The 2nd in Command of the 2nd Battalion Slavo-British Legion under Burke was Major Frederick Lindsay Hamilton M.C who also joined the ADRIC

1919 Mar 21. Awarded (Russian) Cross of St George 4th Class, Archangel,

1919 Apr 1. Memorandum. Temp. 2nd Lt. A. F. Burke (Spec. List) to be actg. Capt., with pay and allces. of Lt. while empld. as Adjt., 1st Bn., Slavo - British Legion (Dyers).

Burke was a member of the ELOPE Training Mission in Russia (although he did see action with Col. Thornhill's party south of Onega for which he was awarded the MM and possibly other actions as well during 1918). After the mutiny in which SBL soldiers murdered their British officers, they were disarmed and relegated to labour troops, it was not a combat command. By the time he was given command he had been in Russia for over a year and had obviously proven himself during that time. He may have become quite fluent in Russian (speculation). The fact that he received the MBE also indicates that his superiors considered him capable.

1919 May 30 MBE Gazetted for his services in North Russia.

1919 Aug 14. Memoranda. Temp. Lt. A. F. Burke (Gen. List) relinquishes the actg. rank of Capt. on ceasing to be empld. as Adjt., 1st Bn., Slavo-British. Legion.

1919 Sep 5. GENERAL LIST. The undermentioned relinquish their commns, on completion of service:Temp. 2nd Lt. A. F. Burke, and retains the rank of 2nd Lt.

1919 His address is Soldiers Home, Clifton St, Belfast. These homes were set up by Miss Sandes and Miss Wilkinson.Their purpose was to draw young soldiers away from the public houses and offer them an alternative centre for friendship, entertainment and self-improvement. The atmosphere in the homes was welcoming, and, while the women were clearly missionaries, prayers and religious services were always voluntary for the soldiers.  Elise Sandes set up a home in Belfast, with the help of John Kinahan, Maud McCausland and Miss Steen.  The Belfast home was opened in March 1891 in Clifton Street, opposite Victoria Barracks.

1920 Jan 19. His address on MIC is 2 Clonmel Terrace, Mitchelstown.

1921 Mar 25. Joins ADRIC with service no 1862. Posted to P Coy Section Leader

1921 Apr 7 His address on service record is 2 Clonmel Terrace, Mitchelstown.

Fined £1 by Coy Commander

1921 Jul 30 Reverts to Temp Cadet at own request.

1921 Nov 10. Permitted to resign ADRIC on disciplinary grounds

1922 Dec 2. Looking at his Medal Card the 3rd address is Gordon Smith Institute, Paradise Street, Liverpool. Which is the Liverpool Seamen’s Friend Society, so he would appear to have been working as a Seaman at the time. The Liverpool Seamen’s Friend Society took its first step towards providing accommodation for seafarers in 1881. In that year it opened a room in Mariners Parade for use as a free sitting room and reading room. This room was known as the Forecastle and was open all day. Just under twenty years later the Gordon Smith Institute opened on Paradise Street. As well as becoming the Society’s new headquarters this building housed seafarers overnight. The Gordon Smith Institute was extended soon after the start of the First World War and again in 1925

There is a Seaman's card for A Burke from Liverpool dated 23 Feb 1923 to sail as a Trimmer on the Carmania

1926 Sep 13. His wife dies, they are living in Bootle, Lancs (Ancestry). He is by now a commission agent.

1939 Register Living at 27 Raby Street , Manchester C.B., Lancashire, England . He is a Builders Labourer (Dob is correct)

1940 May 26 Died Manchester aged 50

ADRIC