[5][6] He saw active service with the battalion in the Second Boer War, for which he received the Queen's medal with two clasps.

[4] Following the end of the war in June 1902, he returned to the United Kingdom with the battalion aboard Cestrian, which reached Southampton on 5 October,[7] and later the same year was commissioned into the regular army as a second lieutenant in the Royal Irish Regiment.

On 7 January 1911 Burke flew a Farman aircraft for two miles over Laffan's Plain at 50 to 80 feet and landed near the Balloon Factory.

In July of the same year, he flew from Salisbury Plain to Aldershot and back and later on he made a return flight to Oxford.

2 Squadron took off from RAE Farnborough and in a series of stages over the next 13 days flew 450 miles (720 km) north.

The aircraft landed at Upper Dysart Farm on 26 February, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland establishing the first operational military airbase in the United Kingdom.

As well as directly recruiting personnel, Burke suggested that training aerodromes might be established in Canada under British control.

Burke was killed in action on 9 April 1917,[23] whilst commanding the 1st Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment.