Roy Burston
Australian general
Died when: 72 years 153 days (869 months)Star Sign: Aries
Major General Sir Samuel Roy Burston, KBE, CB, DSO, KStJ, VD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRACP (21 March 1888 – 21 August 1960) was an Australian soldier, physician, and horse racing identity.
The son of James Burston, a prominent Melbourne soldier and businessman, Burston graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1910.
After graduation, he worked with children at the Adelaide Children's Hospital and Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.Having served with the Militia from an early age, he obtained a commission in the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1912 and served as a medical officer in the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front during World War I.
Burston was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order for supervising an advanced dressing station under fire during the Battle of Messines.
After the war he became a foundation Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.During World War II he served as Director of Medical Services in the Middle East and Director General of Medical Services in Australia with the rank of major general.
The 9th Division was withdrawn from the Siege of Tobruk on his medical advice.He remained Director General of Medical Services until 1948.
In 1945, he became Chief Commissioner of St John Ambulance Australia, serving until 1957, Burston was involved in thoroughbred racing both as a punter and as a racehorse owner.
He served as Chairman of the Moonee Valley Racing Club from 1952 until his death in 1960.Burston made the W S Cox Plate the richest weight for age race in Australia, and he oversaw the construction of the Burston Grandstand, which was named in his honour.
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