BURMESTER, Frederick Charles
(Service number 34591)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 21/02/1894 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 23 August 1916 | Age | 22 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Victoria Street, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Mercer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 2nd South Canterbury Regiment -serving | ||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | A. J. BURMESTER (brother), care of Guinness and LeCren, Timaru. (Also Mrs M. BURMESTER, C/o Mrs Vallance, 28 Lower High Street, Christchurch - crossed out) | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 20th Reinforcements | ||
| Date | 30 December 1916 | ||
| Transport | Athenic | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Plymouth, Devon, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 7 April 1950 | Age | 56 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Karori Crematorium, Wellington | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Frederick Charles Burmester (or Burmeister), who was known as Fred, was the elder son of Charles Frederick and Minnie Margaret (née Stott) Burmester. He was, in fact, born Henry Frederick Burmester on 21 February 1894 at Timaru and baptised thus on 8 April 1894 at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Timaru. While he enlisted as Frederick Charles and used those names on electoral rolls, his marriage and burial are recorded as Frederick Henry. Probate was indexed under both Frederick Charles and Frederick Henry. Fred was educated at Timaru Main School, where he received a Second Class Certificate of Merit for Standard III in 1904, a First Class Certificate of Merit for Standard IV in 1905, and a Proficiency Certificate in 1907. In 1908 at the Timaru Technical School he achieved first class in English, Junior Division. Young Fred also featured in awards at St Mary’s Sunday School, and he participated in both rowing and cricket. When he enlisted on 23 August 1916 he was a mercer and was residing at home in Victoria Street, Timaru. He named his younger brother as next-of-kin – Arthur John Burmester. Their father had died in 1913. Corporal F. C. Burmester embarked with the Rifle Brigade of the 20th Reinforcements on 30 December 1916, headed for Plymouth, England, per the “Athenic”. Private Burmester returned to New Zealand by the “Weimar”, arriving at Auckland and reaching Timaru on 23 June 1919. Frederick Henry Burmester married Elizabeth Scanlon in 1920. He died on 7 April 1950, aged 50 years and was cremated at Karori, Wellington. Two Burmester cousins also served in World War One and a third enlisted.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [17 April 2021]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [17 April 2021]; Karori Crematorium record (Wellington City Council) [17 April 2021]; Timaru Herald, 16 December 1904, 15 December 1905, 20 December 1907, 20 October 1908, 2 July 1919 (Papers Past) [17 & 18 April 2021]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.