| Regimental number | 32294 |
| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | Staveley |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 27 |
| Height | 5' 9.5" |
| Weight | 150 lbs |
| Next of kin | Father, R H Burgess, Staveley, Canterbury |
| Previous military service | Nil (previously rejected for NZEF enlistment on account of cut on right foot: Medical Board: 'He has an old cut on his toes which gives him considerable pain on route march.') |
| Enlistment date | |
| Place of enlistment | Trentham |
| Rank on embarkation | Rifleman |
| Unit name | New Zealand Expeditionary Force, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 10th Reinforcements to 3rd Battalion, G Company |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Wellington on |
| The Infantry component of the 19th Reinforcements left New Zealand on board two ships, 'Maunganui' and 'Tahiti'. It is not possible from the Nominal Rolls to determine on which ship an individual embarked. Harbour records indicate that the actual date of sailing was 16 November 1916. | |
| Final rank | Rifleman |
| Final unit | 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade |
| Fate | Killed in Action |
| Age at death from cemetery records | 28 |
| Place of burial | No known grave |
| Commemoration details | Tyne Cot Memorial (New Zealand Apse, Panel No 7), Zonnebeke, Belgium |
| Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Parents: Richard Henry and Bessie Ferguson Burgess, Staveley, Christchurch |
| Other details |
War service: Western Front Embarked Wellington, 12 November 1916; disembarked Devonport, England, 29 January 1917, and marched into Sling Camp. Proceeded overseas to France, 1 March 1917; joined 2nd Bn, NZ Rifle Brigade, in the field, 2 June 1917, and posted to D Company.Admitted to No 3 NZ Field Ambulance, 16 August 1917 (injured right foot); transferred to 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing station, 17 August 1917; to 8th Red Cross Hospital, 19 August 1917; to No 6 Convalescent Depot, 5 September 1917; to No 5 Convalescent Depot, 12 September 1917; to NZ Base Depot, Etaples, 20 September 1917; rejoined unit, in the field, 8 October 1917. Reported missing, 12 October 1917. Court of Enquiry, 27 April 1918, concluded: 'Killed in action, 12 October 1917. Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal |
| Sources | Nominal Roll Vol. 2: Roll 45, p. 29 Archives New Zealand (Wellington), Agency AABK, Series 18805, File 21889892 |