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1. Fullerton, USA 1998 My family is the five of us. Myself, the youngest and only boy am a School Teacher by trade. As for my two older sisters, both married with children. My parents now that's a couple made in heaven. My Father is of Dutch decent. He grew up in Java. He is one of three boys and has two sisters. When the Dutch army capitulated to the Japanese he was spared that horror as he was in Holland in school and instead of Japanese brutality he witnessed the blitz of Holland and subsequently survived the German occupation of Holland. My Mother is of Australian decent and grew up in the area of Sydney New South Wales. Her family has lived there since the 1800's. She has quite a few relatives there including her sister Val. The Bourke family is also a part of that tree. It was on her last trip to see her sister Val that she and Val discovered the Chest. We live in Fullerton California, USA. Upper middle class not too rich, not too poor. We get to watch the rich folks drive by us on their way up the hill to their big homes. It suits us just fine. I was in the kitchen of our house. Mom had recently returned home from a trip to Australia and she wanted to show me some things that she had brought home. I followed mom into the study and she slowly unwrapped a small wooden chest then opened it up. I could see that she was being very careful with the papers and the brown color looked very fragile. What I first looked at was the newspaper article of my Grandfathers death. He was killed in an industrial accident when mom was still a little girl. He was very popular for his sense of character and held in extremely high morale regard. There were also pictures of his headstone. Mom showed me her birth certificate from the Church and my grand parents marriage license. There were a few articles about some town called Forbes and a letter from a Private Reginald Prow. Mom then showed me an Australian Army Death Notice for her Uncle. It was black and white, glossy. Charles Bourke my Great Uncles picture was printed on the first page. I looked at him and it seemed he was very sad. His hair parted neatly down the middle mouth closed and head cocked just a bit to the right. Below this read "Corporal Charles Bourke, No. 699, 3rd Battalion, First Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Forces, Killed in France, Friday, 21st July 1916. I looked at the face on the picture. Before ever knowing what or how it happened I wondered to myself, how did this man die. How many men did you kill Uncle Charlie? Close enough for them to blow their last breath in your face? What had taken place in France, July 21 1916? This picture alone started my research. What I was looking for specifically I really was not sure of. Up until then my interest has been mostly directed toward the American Civil War and a few bits and pieces about the Second Boer War in South Africa. I came to find that research is something that essentially is never finished. The more I found, the more I needed to know. I decided to begin with what I had. From what I have discovered, based on his unit number, I can place my Uncle at a specific location within a few miles at the time of his death. This discovery is amazing to me as it was so long ago. I had been searching the internet in Australia and discovered that the Australian Archives has kept records of essentially every serviceman and for a fee will forward a copy to any individual that wishes to purchase it. I have acquired my Uncles complete military service record. I was astonished to see the life of my Great Uncle from enlistment in August 1914 up until his death in July 1916. Looking back now, almost 100 years later, with the dust firmly settled on the Galipolli shores and Flanders fields, it is an amazing thing to comprehend. What terror, battles and hardship he and countless thousands went through. That is, for him it was the future and life in the making. Our history was his tomorrow. All of our Galipolli and Somme studies were still events yet to happen. The idea of what was to be, this unknown future of will I live or die? This question must have been clearer as the news from the front arrived and casualty figures of the Marne and Mons battlefield were made public, tens of thousands dead or dying. Bodies buried by shells, torn apart. This must have been sobering and weighed so very heavy on his mind, heart and mortal soul. I have secured his memorial picture. This is one of three that I have seen of Charles. In this one his face has a profound look of pending sadness. It is a picture of a goodbye. His face and eyes seem to be telling us that he knows he shall not return. Yet the slight crack of a smile is there. This must lead whoever is left behind not to worry, as it will not bring him back. There have been many books and story's written on the experience of war. Some are written by those with first hand experience. Some are written by those with whom the study of war has become an obsession. It seems that very few people these days understand what exactly went on back in those terrible years 1914 to 1918. The world today is just too small a place. It seems an impossibility for modern times and society to understand and comprehend how vast, enormous, and fearful the vision of the unknown those soldiers faced when sailing away to far off shores. Today there are no more far away lands. But in 1914 the whole world was a far away land. How can it be done the telling of war and history to those who cannot comprehend? To those who know no far away shores. With great empathy, and the ability to feel, see and live the closeness with the past it can be made to come alive here in the present. The sacrifice of generations is slowly being forgotten. The world of warfare is slipping further and further under the rug. What the masses want is to forget. But to forget is to repeat and to repeat is insanity. No, it must be remembered, the terrors, horror and pain of war. "It is good that war is so terrible, lest we become too fond of it"(Robert. E. Lee. 1862). I am the caretaker now. I look after the ghost of Uncle Charlie. I began this story, in hope to preserve with care the record of an individual's life. That individual happened to be my Great Uncle, a man overlooked by time. As this project has unfolded I have slowly peeled back layer after layer of this mans life. By seeking his truth, I have, in many ways found my own. It is through his death that I have found what is important in my life. When I am through I look forward to seeing him recognized as my Favorite Great Uncle, and the man he truly was he truly was. I have always enjoyed military history and up until the discovery of the Family Chest had really very little knowledge of WW1 (World War One, 1914-1918). Charles Bourke was an individual common as the rest of us before 1914. By any account, had it not been for the unusual circumstances of his military career he would have gone into the cycle of life then death without the slightest notice from anyone. It is my hope that the following pages will spark an interest, maybe a flame or two that can help carry the story of Charles Bourke for the rest the Family and for those yet to come. I trust that in time all of you reading this now will take pride in what he has done. A common man from a small town in New South Wales Australia has accomplished such uncommon feats of courage and bravery. The official sources I would like to credit have been able to provide detailed information at times down to the company level. Though no mention of Charles Bourke specifically is made in the illustrative accounts he is listed KIA (Killed in Action) in the Honor Roll's. The Official History of Australia in World War I, (C.E.W. Bean., 1925 MacDonald, Sydney) was the first source I was able to access. Through the United States Library system I was able to acquire a copy of Volume Three (of twelve) on loan for a period. Mr. Bean and his colleagues spent over a decade compiling data of incredible detail regarding all of the AIF participation in The Great War. The second source I was able to acquire, using the same process was The History of The Third Battalion, (Erik Wren, 1935.,MacDonald, Sydney). This material referenced, naturally the Third Battalion, of which my Great Uncle was a part. It was an extremely valuable tool in that much of the information I had gathered from the Australian War Archive regarding my Uncle's service was corroborated in one way or another by Mr. Wren's accounts of the Battalion. Pozieres (Graham Keech., 1998, Pen Swords Books Limited., by Redwood Books Limited., Barnsley, South Yorkshire,.) is a part of the Battleground Europe series. This source was also valuable in the further corroboration of events leading to my Uncles death. I must sincerely thank all of these authors for their unknowing contribution to my work. It is through the use of the Military Record of Corporal Charles Bourke and the historical account of the aforementioned authors that I have been able to recreate, for the most part Private Bourke's Military Career. Some segments will cite the exact nature of events regarding Bourke's involvement in the War. These events are complimented by narrations covering his unit, D company (approximately 200 soldiers plus officers) and his Battalion, The Third (approximately 1000 soldiers plus officers). These sub units belonged to the First Infantry Brigade of the First Infantry Division. I was amazed to discover that Private Bourke was involved in the Galipolli landing at ANZAC Cove the following three days and nights of fighting without break and the Turkish counter attack above the cliffs on May 19th, 1915. Followed by the daring evacuation November that same year. Corporal Bourke was also involved in the bloody fighting on The Somme Battlefield in France during the taking of the German stronghold Pozieres were he paid the ultimate price. Understanding that every effort has been made to ensure accuracy I hope you will enjoy this biography of my Great Uncle. |
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