Jack Burton was born in South Australia, 5 June 1878 at Mt Gambier. Burton was the son of William Edward Burton (Solicitor) and Elizabeth nee Williams. His father arrived in Adelaide on the Harwich in 1861. Jack married Ada Ann Chalmers (nee Harvey) in Queensland in 1911. Jack and Ada had three children, Florence Maude (later Johnston), Jack Harvey Burton and Fielden Herbert Burton.
Maude won a scholarship in 1927 and was a teacher at Pine Creek public school in 1937.
Jack Harvey Burton enlisted in Darwin at Headquarters 7 Military District with a service number of D127. He was later administrator of Darwin Base Hospital. Fielden Herbert Burton, who served in the RAAF in WW2, died in Darwin on 22 August 1968, aged 42, and is buried in Darwin General Cemetery.
Ada was evacuated on the ‘SS Zealandia’ on 20 December 1941 along with F. Burton to 15 Raven Street, Gladesville in New South Wales. Her daughter Maude Johnston and granddaughter Dawn accompanied her on the voyage. Ada died in hospital in Darwin on 16 September 1948 and is buried in an unmarked grave in Garden's Road.
Jack was president of the A.W.U. in Darwin prior to the War. He is quoted as describing Poynton as ”the greatest tyrant in the present Federal ministry” in Alan Powell's book Far Country, p.162.
Jack served in both the Boer War and the Great War. In the Boer war he served in B Squadron; 1st Troop (Mount Gambier) 8th Australian Commonwealth Horse (S.A.).
He served as a gunner in the Great War. He was employed as a ganger on the railroads, and lived mostly in McMinn Street, Darwin according to the Postal directories.
His medals from WW1 were posted to the railway yards, but went missing, and he had to claim them again. He has a very interesting recommendation for a Military Cross, which was not awarded.
When Jack enlisted in the Great War, Ada moved to 117 Botany Road, Botany in Sydney.
At the 50th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin, Two patches for the commemorative quilt were inscribed with the Names of Jack and Ada, presumably by their child.
Jack kept a diary of the bombing raid by the Japanese in World War 2 which has subsequently been published in “Australia's front line: the Territory at war.” Darwin, Northern Territory Department of Education, 1992.
Northern Territory Archives Service holds the following item:
NTRS 2924 This series consists of a typewritten diary extract relating to the bombing raids in the Darwin region during the Second World War. Included in the chronological listing of raids are numbers of Japanese bombers, times and locations of raids, and damage caused by the bombings.
'Letters from the Front' were written regularly by Jack Burton and published in the Northern Territory Times and Gazette.
On returning to Darwin in 1919, he began a lifetime association with the Returned Services League. He was awarded life membership of the Returned Services League in 1948.
He remained in the Northern Territory during World War 2 and post-war he was a bar steward at the Darwin Returned Services League Club when it operated on the corner of Smith and Knuckey Streets.
Burton was always interested in Council affairs and became Mayor in 1921. Jack was Mayor of Darwin from 1921 to 1922.
He accepted the handover of the War memorial from the citizens of the Northern Territory during his term as mayor. (Geddes p.37.),
History
Enlisted for Commonwealth Contingent for service in South Africa, Boer War, April 21, 1902. Recommended for the Military Cross for his service in World War 1. 21 Howitzer Brigade. He embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A60 'Aeneas' on 30 September 1916. Returned to Australia 21 March 1919.,
Subject
World War, 1914-1918,
Northern Territory,
Australia. Army. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps,
History,
ANZAC,
Related links
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=678923&I=1&SE=1,
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=3174525&I=1&SE=1,
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_LARGE/RCDIG1067020%5CRCDIG1067020--428-.JPG,
http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/nominal_rolls/first_world_war/page/R1558573/,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3286885,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3287036,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3289789,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3291267,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3297475,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3307480,
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/7111,
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34470678,
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/38686275,
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22143596,
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18535263,
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_LARGE/RCDIG1069360%5CRCDIG1069360--4-.JPG,
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_LARGE/RCDIG1069360%5CRCDIG1069360--4-.JPG [Boer War - Nominal Roll],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3297475 ["Jack Burton makes a public speech", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 26 July 1919: p.20.],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3289789 ["Letter from Jack Burton", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 15 June 1918: p.25.],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3286885 ["Letter from Jack Burton", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 20 December 1917: p.19.],
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=3174525&I=1&SE=1 [Service Record],
http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/nominal_rolls/first_world_war/page/R1558573/ [Nominal Roll],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3307480 ["Soldier's Monument", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 28 April 1921: p.4.],
http://hdl.handle.net/10070/7111 [PictureNT : Group of railway employees.],
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/38686275 [Darwin Returned Servicemens' League (RSL) : a concise history of its conception and development by Clive Francis Geddes. Darwin : Clive Francis Geddes, 2011.],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3291267 ["Letter from Jack Burton", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 31 August 1918: p.12.],
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_LARGE/RCDIG1067020%5CRCDIG1067020--428-.JPG [Embarkation Roll],
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3287036 ["Letter from Jack Burton", Northern Territory Times and Gazette, 29 December 1917: p.13.],
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22143596 [Darwin Rebellion 1911-1919 by Frank Xavier Alcorta. Darwin : Northern Territory University Planning Authority, 1984: p.37, 55.],
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18535263 [Far country : a short history of the Northern Territory by Alan Powell. Carlton, Vic. : Melbourne University Press, 1982: p.162.],
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=678923&I=1&SE=1 [Boer War Enlistment Record],