Burke's Soldier: Alan AttwoodBurkes soldier is John King, the sole survivor of Burke and Wills expedition which reached the Gulf of Carpentaria after the first south north crossing of the continent in 1861 and ended in tragedy at Coopers Creek. the harrowing tale is mostly told by King as he lies dying of consumption in 1871 in Melbourne, which closely follows the historical record and the story is woven around him and his associates, describing the brutal impact the expedition