The AIF Project

David BURNS

Regimental number209
Place of birthMelbourne, Victoria
SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic School, Surrey Hill, Melbourne, Victoria
ReligionRoman Catholic
OccupationDriver
Address38 Nelson Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria
Marital statusSingle
Age at embarkation24
Next of kinFriend, W J Desmond, 38 Nelson Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria
Enlistment date17 August 1914
Place of enlistmentMelbourne, Victoria
Rank on enlistmentPrivate
Unit name7th Battalion, A Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number23/24/1
Embarkation detailsUnit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A20 Hororata on 19 October 1914
Rank from Nominal RollPrivate
Unit from Nominal Roll7th Battalion
Other details from Roll of Honour CircularEnlisted 17 August 1914. Mortally wounded 5 June 1915.
FateDied of wounds 7 June 1915
Place of death or woundingGallipoli, Turkey
Date of death7 June 1915
Age at death25
Place of burialNo known grave
Commemoration detailsThe Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 28), Gallipoli, Turkey

The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

Panel number, Roll of Honour,
  Australian War Memorial
49
Family/military connectionsBrother (twin): 2583 Charles BURNS, 5th Machine Gun Bn, died on board HMS "Wyreema", Colombo, Ceylon.
Other details

War service: Egypt, Gallipoli

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

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