Date of birth:

December 4th, 1918 (Clinton/Iowa, United States)

Date of death:

September 17th, 1944 (Casteren, the Netherlands)

Nationality:

American

John Edmund Burke was born December 4, 1918 in Clinton, in the extreme east of Iowa, U.S.A. He was the son of John and Marie Burke and he had a brother William (Bill).
During World War Two, John served with the 437th Troop Carrier Squadron Group 84. This groups was tasked with delivering troops and equipment to the forces on the ground. When Market Garden was launched in the Netherlands, John, the co-pilot, flew a C-47 transport aircraft over Casteren when they were hit by German Flak. Subsequently, the plane went down in the Wagenbroeken. All four crewmembers lost their lives; John still attempting to bail out but he wasn't high enough. He died September 17, 1944, aged 26.
He was found by Harrie Swaanen on the estate of the Der Kinderen family. They buried him on the spot in a field grave on the bank of the Wagenbroeks Loopje. The family took care of John's grave until he was reburied in Calvary Cemetery in his birth place.

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• - Onbekend, maar niet vergeten (29-04-2020), Gemeente Bladel