Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The author of this work is the Great Grandson of Flying Officer Burnett.

Early life

On the 27th of December 1922, John Frederick Burnett was born into the Burnett family in Kensington Park, Burnside South Australia. Johnny was the older brother of Murray V. Burnett. Johnny played footy during his schooling attending Kings College in South Australia from 1927 to 1939 before he worked as an audit clerk and then enlisting in the RAAF.

Serving in the war

Johnny enlisted into the RAAF on the 20th of June 1942 in Adelaide. He was eager to help with the war effort and to serve his country. At the time that he enlisted, he was 19 years and five months old. He trained in various training planes including the Tiger Moth, The Avro Anson, and The Airspeed Oxford before flying The Wellington X Long-Range Bomber as a part of the 40 squadron in the RAF.

The 40th RAF was a British-based air force squadron formed during WW1. This squadron also branched over to WW2. The 40th squadron was a special squadron because it was a British-based squadron that was filled with Australian soldiers. The reason for this was that these Australian pilots were good at their craft and because of this, they were transferred to the prestigious 40th squadron. they still served in a RAAF uniform and still wore the Australian flag, but they were still registered in a Royle Air Force unit.

Johnny was the pilot of a five-maned crew who flew in Foggia Maine, Italy.  He flew alongside many different people who had all sacrificed their normal lives back home to help the war effort. He flew in many different bombing raids as well as the bombing raid on the railway yards of Sarajevo and the bombing raids on the marshalling yards at Treviso.

After the war

Johnny was discharged from the RAAF on the 2nd of January 1946 and received the following service medals: the 1939 – 1945 Star, The Italy Star, The Defence Medal, The Australian Service Medal, and The Returned from Active Service Badge. Johnny returned home after the war and worked as an audit clerk again but although his life had seemed to go back to normal the war was always with him.

One day when Johnny arrived at work, he met a lady who worked on the floor above his, named Marie Gordon Williams. Marie and John kept seeing each other and eventually got married building a house in the middle of an old vineyard during the post-war when building materials were scarce, living in their shed as they built it.

Johnny and Marie had three children James R. Burnett, Philipa M. Burnett, and Guy J. Burnett. Johnny passed away on October 26th, 1995, at the age of 73 years, a loving son, husband, father and grandfather.

John 'Fred' Burnett was, by the mid 1970's, partner in an Accountancy Firm 'Burnett & Rutherford' based in Dalgety House, Currie Street Adelaide.  The firm had  3 partners and staff of 11.  Mr. Burnett (as I always knew him) was a very proud man, smoked a black pipe and always wore a stanton style hat as he left the office.  He was a true gentleman, tipping his hat to greet you, who I had the pleasure of working for, always caring about the welfare of his staff and clients.  There was always a packet of 'Fisherman's Friend' in his pocket to offer to anyone who had a tickle in the throat. The firm merged with Coopers & Lybrand in around 1980.