B/67918 Rifleman Robert “Bazil” Graham Burnett was born on 31 July 1919, in Algoma, Echo Bay, Ontario, the son of Samuel Ashbury Burnett and Janet Victoria Graham. He had a brother Oswald and a sister Ester; the family were Presbyterians.

He worked as a labourer with no previous military experience when he enlisted with the Royal Regiment of Canda (Active) on July 30, 1940, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In October 1940 he spent 45 days in a military hospital undergoing treatment. After training with the RRC, he was transferred to The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on 28 June 1941, then underwent training in Sussex, New Brunswick.

Burnett travelled to the UK with the Regiment and arrived in Gourlock, Scotland on 29 July 1941. In July 1942 he was awarded the Good Conduct Badge. He again had various stints in and out of hospital in 1942

Burnett landed with B Company in the first wave of the D-Day landing at Juno beach and was killed in action, aged 24, on 6 June 1944, He is buried in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference I. B. 16. The following is engraved on his marker:

HOW MUCH OF LIGHT
HOW MUCH OF JOY
IS BURIED WITH A DARLING BOY

His family received his war gratuity of $712.27 which would be about $12,000 in 2023 dollars.