Ancestor Details
Name of Ancestor: William John Burrows
Ancestor's date of birth: 20/01/1879 Canary Island, Victoria
Ancestor's date of death: 14/11/1944
Cause of Death: Unknown
Service Number: 33
Colony or State of enlistment: VIC, Place of Enlistment: Pyramid Hill
Unit: 1st Victorian Mounted Rifles
Rank attained in Boer War: PTE, Date Effective: On enlistment.
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No record of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 225
Contingent: First Victorian
Ship: Medic, Date of Sailing: 28/10/1899
Memorial details: Buried Templestowe VIC cenetery, Name is on Pyramid Hill Memorial.
Awards/Decorations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony Clasp.
Personal Characteristics: Served Part Time Militia with the Victorian Mounted Rifles before the war.
Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.
Details of service in war: Enlisted for service in South Africa and embarked Melbourne with 1st Victorian Mounted Infantry Company per Transport 'Medic' 28 October 1899.
Disembarked Cape Town 27 November 1899.
Train to De Aar 15 December 1899 then on to Orange River.
To Belmont 8 December 1899 then Eslin.
Operations against the Boers from mid January 1900.
To Rensburg 2 February 1900 and operations near Maeder's Farm.
Engagements near Bastard's Nek 10 February 1900. .
Wounded in Action and Prisoner of War Hobkirks Farm 12 February 1900. Soldier had been a horse holder and he and all horses were struck by a hail of bullets from Boer troops who took him to hospital in Pretoria.
Recaptured by British Forces in Pretoria Hospital when that city was occupied 4 June 1900.
Embarked Cape Town per Transport 'Medic' 13August 1900.
Disembarked Melbourne 6 September 1900.
Discharged to pension 19 March 1901.Service and life after the Boer War: Married Bessie Kate HISCOCK at Clifton Hill Methodist Church 4/12/1905. (She was born at Buninyong 15/2/1880, a grand-daughter of gold discoverer Thomas Hiscock 1809-1855. She died 11/6/1948.) Fruiterer at Pyramid 1908-1,916; orchardist on 16 ha at Blackburn Road, East Doncaster 1918-1940. Died at 13 Helen Street, Northcote 14/11/1944.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Graeme Frank Burrows, Mt Waverley VIC
Relationship to Ancestor: Grandson
