The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (VX40630) Private Francis Henry Burgess, 2/29th Battalion, AIF, Second 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 Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (VX40630) Private Francis Henry Burgess, 2/29th Battalion, AIF, Second World War.

VX40630 Private Francis Henry Burgess, 2/29th Battalion, AIF
Illness 8 November 1943

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Francis Henry Burgess.

Francis Burgess was born on 4 May 1908 in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, the youngest son of Robert and Anne Burgess. His father passed away in 1910, leaving Burgess’s mother to bring up Francis and his siblings Robert, George, Mary, Edward and Anna.

Burgess worked as a boot repairer, and at the time of his enlistment was living in South Yarra with his wife Mabel, who he married in 1939, and their young son, Brian.

Burgess enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 4 July 1940 in Melbourne. After training at bases at Mount Martha and Darley, he joined the newly formed 2/29th Battalion, which formed part of the 27th Brigade of the 8th Division. He trained with his unit at Bathurst, New South Wales, until July 1941, when he sailed with the rest of his division for service in south-east Asia. At the time of his departure, Australia was not yet at war with Japan, but Australian troops were being sent to Singapore and Malaya to face a likely Japanese attack.

In September 1941 Burgess and the 2/29th Battalion moved to Segamat on Malay Peninsula, where they continued to train and adjust to the hot and humid tropical conditions. During this period, Burgess was detached to a Chemical Warfare School where he received specialised training and instruction. He served in the Headquarters Company.

On 7 December 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and invaded Thailand and northern Malaya: in doing so, they declared war on the United States and Great Britain. From their initial landing areas, they rapidly advanced south through Malaya towards the key Allied base at Singapore.

In response to the Japanese threat, Burgess and the 2/29th were sent to the Muar River to reinforce Indian troops defending against Japanese attacks. In mid-January they assumed defensive positions and over the coming days they faced increasingly heavy air, infantry, mortar and tank attacks. In seven days they lost nearly 60 per cent of their strength – killed, wounded or missing. In desperate conditions the survivors of the fighting on Malaya made their way back to the base at Yong Peng and withdrew to assist in defending Singapore Island.

In this chaotic period Burgess was originally reported missing, but it is now known that he was one of thousands of Allied troops taken prisoner of war by the Japanese following the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.

Burgess spent time in Changi prisoner of war camp and worked on the Thompson Road Work Party, In April 1943 he was assigned to F Force: a prisoners’ working party sent by the Japanese to work on the notorious Thailand–Burma Railway.

Conditions on the railway were terrible. The men faced starvation, disease, and harsh treatment from prison camp guards. Thousands died.

On 8 November 1943, while at the Kami Sonkurai camp in Thailand, Burgess died of cardiac beri beri, a vitamin B deficiency, and malaria.

He was 35 years old.

He is now buried in the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Myanmar where more than 3,100 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War now lie. His grave reads: “Duty nobly done…ever remembered”.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second 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 Francis Henry Burgess, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section