Burkin, William H.

[SS "Koombana": list of crew as per copy of Articles at shipping office, Fremantle, Adelaide Steamship Company, April 1912. provided to the author by Jean Northover, City Beach, Western Australia]

THE CREW AGE BIRTHPLACE

...

W. Burkin, second grade steward (Burken) 33 London

...

["Mr W. Burkin (Steward.)", The Western Mail (Perth, WA), Saturday 06 April 1912, page 24]

[photograph]

["Story of the Koombana", The Sunday Times (Perth, WA), Sunday 31 March 1912, page 12]

...

P. Farrance, A. Deeham, C. H. Benedict, Edward Wardlaw, J. Hughes, J. Blades, A. Salkild, S. W. Reynolds, F. J. Winpenny, Wm. Dick, James Crosbie, Wm. Cant, R. Davies, W. Burkin, H. Smith and P. Finnerty, stewards.

...

["Officers and Crew", The Sunday Times (Perth, WA), Sunday 31 March 1912, page 1]

...

Several stewards, whose names appear on the articles of the Koombana, may not have joined the vessel. Captain Smith, the Port shipping master, asks that in this event the men who did not go should notify him.

...

["The Crew", The West Australian, Wednesday 03 April 1912, page 7]

The following is the complete crew which left with the vessel, according to the records in the Adelaide Co.'s office:--

...

P. Farrance, A. Deerham, C. H. Benedicte, E. Wardlaw, J. Hughes, J. Blades, A. Salkild, S. W. Reynolds, F. J. Winpenny, Wm. Dick, James Crosbie, Wm. Cant, R. Davis, W. Burkin, H. Smith, and P. Finnerty, stewards.

...

["The Koombana", The West Australian, Friday 12 April 1912, page 7]

OFFICIAL LIST OF CREW

The following official list of the names of the crew who signed on the s.s. Koombana's articles and who were supposed to have gone in the vessel is supplied by the Shipping Master of Fremantle (Captain T. W. Smith). The age, birthplace, and capacity of each member is given:--

...

W. Burkin, 33, London, assistant steward;

...

[Agreement and Account of Crew, s.s. Koombana, August 1911 - March 1912, Harbour and Lights Department, Western Australia. State Records Office of Western Australia, Consignment 1056 Item 301]

The register suggests that both Delia McDermott and William Burkin transferred to Koombana from Marloo on 25 August 1911.

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my image 819

16th. July 1912.

Mrs. W. Burkin,

Shingle Street,

Biggen Hill, WESTERHAM,

Kent, England.

Dear Madam,

As requested by your son, Mr. W. Burkin, I have to

state that I have forwarded to the Accountant, Finance Dept.,

Board of Trade, London, the balance of wages (£4/8/-) due

to your late son, lost in the ill-fated "Koombana."

Yours faithfully,

[file copy not signed]

DEPUTY SHIPPING MASTER.

[Wreck of the "Koombana" - photocopy of material relating to, Harbour and Lights Department, Western Australia, 1912, State Records Office of Western Australia. Series 1618, Cons. 5055, Item 001, see Koombana Relief Fund correspondence]

EXTRACT FROM LETTER RECEIVED FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE

"KOOMBANA" RELIEF COMMITTEE, PERTH

Dated 31st July, 1912.

--------------

"I give you hereunder a list of persons in Great Britain

to whom the Perth Committee has allotted amounts, and shall be

glad if you will communicate with the Agent-General, requesting

him to pay the sum mentioned in each case, out of the amount he

has in hand, and forward the receipts to me at the earliest

possible opportunity:-

Miss Wardlaw, 36 Bank Street, Hillhead, Glasgow, £47.

Mrs. W. C. Dick, 4 James Park, Burntisland, N.B., £47.

Mrs. W. Clarke, Chestnut Grove, off Marsh Lane, Boudel

Liverpool, England, £65.

Mrs. Levins, 87 Strand Street, Cloyerhead, Drogheda,

Ireland, £11.

Mrs. M. Dwyer, King Street, Abbyside, County Waterford,

Ireland, £11.

Mrs. W. Carton, Droghed, County Louth, Ireland, £11.

Mrs. J. Kearne, 36 Malcolmson Street, Springfield Road,

Belfast, Ireland, $11.

Mrs. Rea, 21 Conderton Road, Loughboro Junction, Camberwell,

London, S.E. £11.

----------------------------------

Further names since received:-

A. Dellar (? English address)

- Clinton ( " Local Committee making enquiries

- Offord ( " " " decline applica-

tion for assistance.

W. Burkin ( " Nothing done so far.

----------------------------------

...

["Family Notices", The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 04 May 1912, page 14]

...

Deaths.

...

SALKILLD.--March 21, 1912, lost in s.s. Koombana, on the coast of Western Australia,

Arthur Thomas Salkilld, aged 17 years and 8 months, second son of Henry and Sarah Salkilld,

of 90 Day-street, Leichhardt, grandson of the late John Salkilld of Leederville, Western Australia,

also grandson of Mrs. C. E. Godwin, of Dubbo, N.S.W., and nephew of Mrs. Fredrick Hudson, Broome, Western Australia.

Also, a remembrance of his true friend, William Burkin, a shipmate, who is still by his side.

Western Australian papers please copy.

...

[Research file "s.s. Koombana", 1973-. Department of Maritime Archeology, Western Australian Museum, 189/73]

Koombana newspaper clipping submitted to museum by a Burkin descendant:

Lloyd William Burkin

[address and telephone number withheld]

2010-07-26

Checked www.whitepages.com.au. Contact details are current.

2010-07-27

I called Lloyd, chatted for a few minutes and learned a few things:

Burkin's first name was William;

he was one of nine brothers;

only two brothers came to Australia: William, and Lloyd's father George Burkin

Lloyd could not say of they came out together or at different times.

["Low Tide At Broome - Propeller of the S.S. Koombana, Taken While The Vessel Was Lying Alongside The Jetty." (The Western Mail), Perth, WA, Saturday 05 August 1911]

[photo]

Caption: "Low Tide At Broome - Propeller of the S.S. Koombana, Taken While The Vessel Was Lying Alongside The Jetty."

Credit: "Photo, by W. Burkin."