The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Burns
- First Name:
- Clifford Edward
- Nick Name:
- Cliff
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX7702
- Company:
- 'A' Company
- Enlisted:
- 10.08.1940
- DOB:
- 5.12.1916
- Place of Birth:
- Dandenong, Victoria
- Father's Name:
- William Joseph Bums
- Mothers's Name:
- Amy Maude Bums
- Religion:
- Church of England
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Miner
- Memorial:
- Epitaph, Labuan Memorial, Panel 18, Age 28.
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp Changi
- Force:
- ‘B’ Force Borneo
- POW#:
- 490
- Cause of Death:
- Cardiac Beri-Beri
- Place of Death:
- Ranau, First Ranau march
- Date of Death:
- 4.02.1945
General Description
Burns was wounded in action at Buona Vista and admitted to 2/13th Australian General Hospital on 15.2.1942 with a shrapnel wound to his back. Discharged to unit on 20.2.1942.
Please read about men of A Coy No. 4 Platoon
BURNS, Private, CLIFFORD EDWARD, WX7702, A.I.F. 2/4 M.G. Bn., Australian Infantry. 4 February 1945. Age 28. Son of William Joseph and Amy Maud Burns, of Westonia, Western Australia. Panel 18.
Labuan Memorial, Malaysia.
Cliff was selected at Singapore with ‘B’ Force to sail to Borneo to work for the Japanese.
Above from Port Pirie newspaper.
Kings Park Honour of Avenue
Dedicated byFamily on 21 May 2011
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
‘Private Clifford Edward Burns of 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion was born in December 1916 at Dandenong, Victoria. He had five brothers and three sisters and they were the children of Joseph and Amy Burns of Port Pirie, South Australia and later Kalgoorlie.
He left school at 15 to work in the mines at Kalgoorlie with his father and a brother.
Clifford enlisted at Westonia in August 1940 and after training at Northam Military Camp was assigned to 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion.
The Battalion came together at Northam, the moved to Adelaide, to Darwin and then to Singapore.
After the surrender, Clifford was sent with ‘B’ Force to Sandakan to work on the airfield construction.
Private Clifford Edward Burns, service number WX7702, died as a prisoner of war on the Sandakan-Ranau death march with two of his good mates, Alex Hack and Jack Halligan, on 4 February 1945. He was 28 years of age.’
Cliff died on 4 Feb 1945 of cardiac beri beri (according to Japanese records) aged 28 years 1 mile after Murawatto in vicinity of 42 mpg, near track to Beluran on the First Death March.
Camp Locations:
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore