I believe that James Burke was born on the 18^th July 1920, according to the1939 National Register, the son of Patrick & Sarah Emily Burke (nee Conway, formerly Cartwright) who had married at Holywell in a Civil Ceremony in the December quarter of 1919 (Flintshire (Mold)HOL/42/55).

Patrick & Sarah Emily Burke are next seen on the 1921 census, living at 299, Chester Road Flint in the household of George Francis& Mary Elizabeth Cartwright, Sarah Emily’s parents, siblings, and grandsons of her parents.  Son-in-Law, Patrick, was age 27 years and 7 months and was a General Labourer at Courtaulds, Artificial Silk Manufacturers in Flint. (I believe also that they were all out of work because of the Miner’s strike in 1921.)  Sarah Eleanor (sic), who I believe to be Sarah Emily Burke, was 26 years and 8 months old, James Burke, was 1 year old.   All, except George Francis Cartwright, had been born in Flint, Flintshire, he had been born in Chester, Cheshire.   George Francis Cartwright had filled in the 1921Census form as he signed it, but got his daughter’s name wrong.

I have no information on James’s early and teenage years, but we see that he met and eventually married Mildred M. Yale in the March quarter of 1939 in a Civil Ceremony, (Flintshire (Mold) HOL/61/87).

We see James & Mildred on the 1939 National Register, living at 9, King’s Road, Connah’s Quay, this source gives us dates of birth.    James Burke was born on the 18^th July, 1920, as above and was a Packer? at the Sheet Steel Mill.    Mildred M. Burke had been born on the 12th February, 1920 and as she had no job, as a married woman, was described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.”    William K. Burke, had been born on the 9^th May 1939.

Living in the same street, possibly the same house as James & Mildred, was, I believe, the parents of Mildred M. Burke,(nee Yale), James’s wife, Harold V. & Florence M. Yale and children, or James & Mildred were living with them, but I cannot tell because of the redactions on the pages, but looking at the numbers, I think they were in the same house, although described as another household.

James is seen in the Royal Artillery Attestation Register for 1940 which shows his number and the date he died but no other information, sadly.

What we do know is that he is named on a Casualty Form as having died of wounds on the 12^th April 1943, the only one of the 4 servicemen in the Royal Artillery who is reported having died on that day.

The “Casualty Card” tells us that he was born and resided in Flint, again, no other clue.

The website http://nigelef.tripod.com/regtsumm.htm#fdregt  gives some details of the 172 Field Regt.   Not very explicit though, but might help build a picture of his war service.

As usual the WW2talk Forum was able to add more light onto James’s experiences: –

With help from WW2talk = https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/sidi-nsir-155th-battery-172-field-regiment-ra.69110/

https://ra39-45.co.uk/units/field-regiments/172-field-regiment-ra and also: –

https://ra39-45.co.uk/insignia/unit-dress-insignia/field-regiments#172f

172 Field Regiment RA

To Unit page

Badge produced locally from a design by C.O. of 172 Field to commemorate 155 Battery fighting to the last man at Beja on 26 Feb 43. Less than 200 made, it was worn on either the right breast above the pocket of the Battledress Blouse or on the right arm below the 46 Division badge

The following websites are very interesting: –

http://nigelef.tripod.com/regtsumm.htm#fdregt

https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/sidi-nsir-155th-battery-172-field-regiment-ra.69110/

https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/154-battery-172-field-regiment-ra.88828/

and https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/tunisia-sidi-nsir-then-now.26071/

Although James was buried at MEDJEZ-EL-BAB WAR CEMETERY, from the Concentration List on CWGC. – List No. 7 – Sheet 6 of 41.   James was one of 10 servicemen who were re-buried on the 27^th July 1944 concentrated from BEJA TOWN CEM (Tunisia) – Date of Despatch of preceding List:- 9^th September 1944).   I wonder if that was where he died. (See CWGC List of Concentrations below)

History Information (Taken from the CWGC website)

In May 1943, the war in North Africa came to an end in Tunisia with the defeat of the Axis powers by a combined Allied force. The campaign began on 8 November 1942, when Commonwealth and American troops made a series of landings in Algeria and Morocco. The Germans responded immediately by sending a force from Sicily to northern Tunisia, which checked the Allied advance east in early December. In the south, the Axis forces defeated at El Alamein withdrew into Tunisia along the coast through Libya, pursued by the Allied Eighth Army. By mid April 1943, the combined Axis force was hemmed into a small corner of north-eastern Tunisia and the Allies were grouped for their final offensive. Medjez-el-Bab was at the limit of the Allied advance in December 1942 and remained on the front line until the decisive Allied advances of April and May 1943.

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1971984/beja-war-cemetery

Beja is a town at the junction of three highways; 96 kilometres from Tunis, 150 kilometres from Souk Ahras and 76 kilometres from Tabarka. Beja War Cemetery lies just outside the northern limits of the town.

 Chester Chronicle 1^st May 1943 – Soldier’s Death In Africa.

Mrs BURKE, 9, King’s Road, Connah’s Quay, has received a telegram that her husband, a driver in the Royal Artillery, has died in North Africa.   Pte. BURKE, was 23 and the son of Mr. & Mrs. BURKE, Flint.   He joined the Army two years last October and was home for Christmas.    Last week his wife received a letter from hi stating he was well.   He leaves a wife and two children.

Any help on James’s family and earlier life would be much appreciated, so we can tell his story and he won’t be forgotten.