The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1310) Private David Christopher Bourke, 15th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Troy Clayton, the story for this day was on (1310) Private David Christopher Bourke, 15th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

1310 Private David Christopher Bourke, 15th Battalion, AIF
KIA 2 May 1915

Story delivered 4 December 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private David Christopher Bourke.

David Bourke was born in June 1888 in Fermanagh, Ireland. His parents, Patrick and Kate Bourke, took their family to Scotland when David was a little over ten years old. He spent some time working as a labourer, and served five years in the Royal Irish Constabulary.

David migrated to Australia in October 1913. He settled in Queensland, and became a policeman, working from South Brisbane station. After war broke out, Bourke enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in January 1915 with another Irish-born officer from the South Brisbane police station, William Hughes. After a brief period of training in Australia, they left for active service overseas on the troopship Seang Bee in February. Arriving in Egypt they joined the 15th Battalion, which had arrived just weeks before, and continued training. By mid-April they had moved to the island of Lemnos, and were undertaking specialist training in disembarking ships into small boats.

The 15th Battalion began landing on Gallipoli on the afternoon of 25 April 1915, some of the troops having had the chance to witness the landing of British troops at Helles earlier that morning from their troopship. It took many hours to get the entire battalion ashore, with many not arriving until the morning of the 26th. Once the battalion was reorganised it headed for the heights above the beach, defending the shaky perimeter established the day before.

At some point in the landing or the days that followed, Private David Bourke was wounded. He was evacuated to Egypt, where he died on 2 May 1915. His mate Corporal William Hughes was killed in action the following day.

After the deaths of William Hughes and David Bourke were reported in Australia, the men of the South Brisbane and West End police stations raised money to place enlarged photographs of the two in the hall of the South Brisbane police station in memory of their comrades.

David Bourke was buried in the Alexandria Military Cemetery in Egypt on the day he died. He was 26 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private David Christopher Bourke, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section