Archival Collections

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.