Anne Burke papers

Collection — Container: 00.0169 Box 1

Identifier: 00.0169

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Anne Burke was a nurse in the US Army Nurse Corps at the USA Fourth General Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, during World War II. The collection primarily relates to her relationship with First Lieutenant Andrew W. O'Rourke, Jr. of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The collection includes thirty-nine letters written by Andrew to Anne during the war. The letters stop due to Andrew's death as a result of typhus fever. Also included are four photographs, sixteen letters to Anne of condolences from those who served with Andrew, newspaper clippings, a fellow nurse's memoirs, V-mail, and a greeting card. The letters from Andrew to Anne discuss censorship, the need to keep their marriage secret, religious services, discussions of actions on New Britain, and war bonds.

Dates

1942-2000
Other: Majority of material found within 1942-1945
Other: Date acquired: 02/28/2000

Creator

Burke, Anne (Person)
O'Rorke, Andrew W., Jr. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Biographical or Historical Information

Anne Burke was born in Bethlehem, PA, on July 18, 1918. She graduated from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing before volunteering December 3, 1940. She was discharged in December of 1946 from Fort Dix. Burke was stationed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, England General Hospital Atlantic City, Valley Forge General Hospital, as well as Melbourne, Australia, and Fisnchhafen, New Guinea. She worked as a nurse and, during the war, met, married, and buried her husband Andrew O'Rorke, a United States Marine Corps Officer who served during the Battle of Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester, New Britain in the Solomon Islands, with the 1st Marine Division. Anne served in the Fourth General Hospital for three years while in Melbourne. She passed away on July 15, 2002, at VNA Hospice, at St. Lukes, Fountain Hill PA.