More about William Leslie Burnett

William Leslie Burnett  Drake Bn   an addition

DUNDEE SWIMMER WINS THE D.C.M.

Chief Petty Officer William L. Burnett, R.N.V.R., a Dundee man, whose name appears in the list published today of men who have gained the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Chief Petty Officer Burnett, whose home is at Ivybank, Nelson Street, Dundee, joined up as an ordinary seaman in September, 1914, and left with the Drake Battalion for Egypt in February of the following year.  He was shortly afterwards drafted to Gallipoli, where he served for about eight months.  During the heavy fighting of May 5, 1915, Chief Petty Officer Burnett was shot through the thigh and invalided to Malta, returning to the Peninsula, and subsequently taking part in the memorable evacuation.  He then saw several months service in France, taking part in the fighting at Beaucourt on November 14, when the R.N.D. boys did splendid work.  It was during this engagement that Chief Petty Officer Burnett won his laurels.  He rallied his men, and led them forward with great gallantry, although he had been previously wounded.

A former Harris Academy boy, “Bill” was well known in aquatic circles in the city as secretary of the Belmont Swimming Club.  Chief Petty Officer Burnett, who is at present in England training for a commission was previously assistant in the office of his father, Mr George Burnett, home factor, Victoria Road.  He is 23 years of age.  Mr Burnett’s eldest son, George Burnett, is a Lieutenant in the Army Service Corps.

Dundee Courier 27th January 1917

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William Burnett was the son of Mr George Burnett, Ivy Bank, 12 Nelson Street, Dundee and, before the war he was employed as a House Factors Clerk. He was one of the first Dundee men to volunteer to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for service in the Royal Naval Division in September 1914. After training at the Crystal Palace in South London and at Blandford Camp in Dorset he was drafted to the Drake Battalion. At the end of February 1915 the Battalion sailed to the Dardanelles in preparation for the Royal Navy attack on Constantinople, the present day Istanbul. In the Second Battle of Krithia in early May 1915 he received gunshot wounds and was evacuated to hospital in Malta. He returned to the Drake Battalion in July and saw out the rest of the campaign until January 1916. The Drake Battalion sailed for France in May 1916 and trained for service on the Western Front. However, he became ill in July and was hospitalised in France. In November 1916, Petty Officer William Burnett took part in the final battle in the Somme campaign and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. This was reported in the Courier on 27 January 1917. The London Gazette No 29921 on 26 January 1917 recorded that he was awarded the DCM for Conspicuous Gallantry in Action. He had rallied his men and led them forward with great gallantry, although he had been previously wounded. Later he remained out all night with a covering party under heavy fire. After recovering from his wounds he was selected for Officer training and went to the Officer Cadet School at Gailes, Ayrshire in May 1917. He was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant and appointed to the Drake Battalion but attended Blandford Camp for further training. Sub Lieutenant Burnett RNVR joined his Battalion in France in November 1917. The RND was holding the front Line on Welsh Ridge near Cambrai in late December 1917 when the Germans launched sustained attacks. The line held but William Burnett was killed in action on 30 December 1917. His body was not recovered and his name is on the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France.