Corporal Owen Charles Henry Burton
- Rank
- Corporal
- Service number
- 216
- Unit
- 28 Battalion
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Pozieres, France
- Date of death
- 28 July 1916
- Age
- 25
- Plaque number
- M302
- Co-located plaques
- M302A - PTE David Thomas
- Dedicated by
- Family on 14 May 2016
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Corporal Owen Burton was born in June 1891 at Mount Lawley, one of three sons and three daughters of Owen and Louisa Burton.
Owen’s nickname was 'Skipper' and he spent much of his childhood growing up on Rottnest Island where his father worked as a guard.
After schooling, Owen was employed as a labourer. He married Emily Coomb Towns in January 1912 at Perth and they had two children, a girl and a boy.
He enlisted in March 1915, when his son Jack, born in December 1914, was just 2 months old.
After initial training at Blackboy Hill Military Camp, Owen was allocated to 28 Battalion, which was raised in April 1915. The unit then embarked at Fremantle in June 1915 aboard HMAT Ascanius bound for Egypt.
After further training, they embarked for Gallipoli, landing there in September 1915. After Gallipoli, the unit was transferred to France and took part in its first major battle at Pozieres, France, between July and August 1916.
Corporal Owen Burton, service number 216 of 28 Battalion, was killed in action at Pozieres, France on 28 July 1916.
He was 25 years of age and his name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
Both of his brothers, Robert and George, served overseas in World War 1 and returned home.
His best friend, David William Towns (who was also his wife’s brother) was killed a year later, in 1917, at Ypres.
Owen's plaque is placed alongside that of his wife's son, Private David Thomas, who was born during Emily's second marriage to Joseph Thomas.