Lance Corporal Walter Burnett #9/2158 - 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration:


Lance Corporal Walter Burnett  #9/2158 – Otago Mounted Rifles:


ABOVE: Walter in uniform on horse prior to leaving for France in WWI, 1916.
Outside the Burnett “Pinkie Hill” Homestead, Bayswater.
(Otautau Museum Collection #2008.23.9 – Photo is Public Domain)


Walter arrived in the world on 24 October 1895, the eldest of ten children born to George Alexander and Elizabeth Burnett. One of these children who was a twin, was sadly stillborn. George with his existing family at the time, moved to Bayswater in 1905, buying the piece of land owned previously by Mark Summers with George naming their Estate 'Pinkie Hill', after a place in Scotland. The rest of the couples children were born here. The estate remains in the family to this day, although of course the homestead has seen many changes, alterations and additions. Walter was a labourer on his father’s farm, before signing up to fight in WW1.



Written on the back of this photo (sent to a neighbour):


"10/11/18

Dear Mrs Manson

What do you think of this fellow, not a bad looking sort of a chap is he. Hope you are quite well and in good health and strength. I hope this war will be over on Monday 11/11/18.

Yours truly, Walter XXX"


(kindly supplied by family members)





Joining up on 7/12/1915, Walter was posted to D Squadron, 11th Reinforcements of the Otago Mounted Rifles and embarked at Wellington on board the Maunganui as a Trooper on 2/4/16 heading for Suez, Egypt, disembarking on 4/5/1916. On 20/5/1916, he embarked again, this time for Marseilles. By the time he joined the fighting on 29/7/1916, he was with 8th Company and although he stayed with them for some time, he was transferred to different companies, including 2nd Battalion, Otago Regiment. Walter was also wounded and sick on more than one occasion, but never seriously, although he was admitted to Brockenhurst hospital on 8/11/1916 and again in the later half of 1918, after also being in hospital in France, where he suffered debilitating influenza for some months. On 22/5/1918, Walter was appointed Lance Corporal. Walter came home to NZ on board the S.S. Corinthic, leaving on 12/3/1919 and arriving at Lyttleton on 22/4/1919. He was finally discharged from the Army on 21/5/1919.

Walter was married on 14th July 1926 to Annie Christina (known as 'Nan') Hardy, but tragically only around 6 weeks later, she died from fatal complications of pregnancy/childbirth. The love that Walter had for his young wife was evident in the yearly Memorial he published for many years on the anniversary of her death. The one below is from the Otautau Standard or OSWCC one year later (30/8/1927):


Walter bravely carried on and became well known around Otautau town and the district as an MC or "caller" for the local dances and also in his work in the role of Caretaker for the Otautau Town Board. We have some interesting copies of these dance call sheets of his at the museum. The local Otautau Pipe Band was also formed off a motion from Walter Burnett at a meeting about the same, and he was a founding member of the group, from February of 1920. 

Sadly there was a fatal blow in Walter's life, and in an accident at the train crossing by Otautau School on 27th February 1969, he was killed. His “Next of Kin” listed at time of death is his younger brother Linton Burnett, from Wright’s Bush, Invercargill. Walter is buried at Hodgkinson, Otautau, with his beloved wife Nan.
 _________________________________________________________________________________________

SOURCES: Any direct references are marked and cited. Grateful thanks are given to the family for providing additional photographs and information - Article researched and compiled by Suzie Best - Researcher/Historian, ph: 027-211-4675 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The content within this blog is Copyright: Photos - as stipulated above, those from Ōtautau Museum and Heritage Trust (contact on: otautau.museum@gmail.com); Research/text - to the author in the form written here, unless stipulated otherwise (contact on: riverstream@xtra.co.nz)

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