Burke, Harold

Collection relating to the First World War service of Captain (Cpt) Harold Burke MC who served with the 5th Battalion AIF before he was killed in action in France on 23 August 1918. Comprises two original letters and a postcard, all handwritten by Cpt Burke. The first letter is a three page letter dated 29 June 1918, written to 'Ambrose' which was the family name for his brother Lieutenant Maurice Francis Burke who served with the 29th Battalion and was a prisoner of war of the Germans. He writes humourously and in the language of the time, asking Ambrose for a list of any items he would like posted to him, and mentioning he had seen their sister, Lalah Mary Burke (known as Sally to the family) and their brother 'Teddy', Edmund Louis Burke MC, who served with the 2nd Division Artillery. The second letter dated 17 August 1918 was written to his mother and describes his living and fighting conditions, and his brothers Ted and Maurice, and sister Lalah. The letters are believed to be the last letters written by Cpt Burke to his brother and his mother. Included are photocopies of handwritten transcripts of the letters. The postcard was sent to his sister Lalah in April 1916, whilst she was serving with the Australian Army Nursing Service in Heliopolis.