The Aviator

While William Wallace Allison Burn is not mentioned on the New Zealand roll of honour since he served with an Australian force, he is both our first military aviator and the first one killed in action.
Born July 17, 1891, in Melbourne Australia, to station manager Forbes Burn and his wife Isabel Ayers who had moved there after marrying in Christchurch.  They promptly moved back and William went to Christchurch Boys High where he did cadet force training.
In 1911, he joined the New Zealand Staff Corps and posted to the Canterbury military district where he was considered tactful, energetic, resourceful, likely to make a good officer.
He and three other officers left for England in 1912 to study with the Imperial Forces where he gained qualifications as a pilot.  
He returned to New Zealand just in time for World War One to break out.  In February 1915 the Indian government called for trained pilots, needed in the Tigris valley during the Mesopotamian campaign. 
Burn was seconded to the  Australian Flying Corps as a flying officer, attached to the Indian Expeditionary Force.  He was sent to Basra.
The three planes available were in poor shape but they began reconnaissance flights. Burn flew many sorties.
On July 30, 1915 he was flying a Caudron G.3, a plane prone to engine failure in the hot conditions, alone with another pilot in a similar plane.  One went down and was lucky enough to land near a friendly village.  Burn’s plane had continued but apparently landed about 20 miles away when the engine failed.
As they tried to fix it, they encountered a force of well armed men.  Burn - and the pilot Australian George Merz - quickly headed for Abu Salibiq - fighting a running gun battle as they did.
It was believed both ended up shot - but no sign of them was ever found.  His date of death is listed as July 30, 1915.
The plane was later located but hacked to bits.
His name is on the Basra memorial, a Commonwealth War Graves commission memorial near Zubyr in Iraq.  
Picture by Simon Fitall.

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