Brigadier James Thomas Burrows (13 July 1904 – 10 June 1991) was a New Zealand teacher, sportsman, administrator, and military leader. He was born in

Prebbleton Prebbleton is a small town in the Selwyn District in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. It is 11 km southwest of the centre of Christchurch and about 2 km south of the outlying industrial suburb of Hornby. Prebbleton dates back to ...

, New Zealand, on 13 July 1904. Following his education at Christchurch Boys' High School, he became a teacher. He graduated from Canterbury College in 1935 with a master's thesis titled ''A comparison between the early colonisations of New Zealand and America.'' As a rugby union player, Burrows was a

hooker Hooker may refer to: People * Hooker (surname) Places Antarctica * Mount Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (South Shetland Islands) New Zealand * Hooker River * Mount Hooker (New Zealand) in the Southern Alps * Hoo ...

. He represented in 1923 and from 1925 to 1930. He was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, on their first ever

tour of South Africa The Tour of South Africa was a stage cycling race in South Africa that was only held once, in 2011. It was part of UCI Africa Tour as a 2.2 The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world's governing body in the sport of bicycle racing, clas ...

in 1928. On that tour he played in nine matches and scored two tries, but he did not appear in any of the Tests. He was sole selector and coach of the Canterbury team from 1932 to 1933, and manager–coach for the All Blacks in their 1937 test series against South Africa. Burrows also played nine first-class matches for the Canterbury cricket team in the Plunket Shield. An opening bowler, he took 4 for 24 when Canterbury dismissed Auckland for 56 in 1931–32. Batting customarily at number eleven, he had the unusual record of never being dismissed in any of his 12 innings. A Territorial Force officer, Burrows volunteered for overseas service during the Second World War. Serving in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy, he rose to the rank of brigadier. He was made a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typic ...

(DSO) in 1942, and awarded a bar to the DSO in 1944. Leaving the army in 1944, he became

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

. He resigned this position in 1949 and rejoined the Army, serving as commander of the New Zealand force in Korea in 1953. In 1953, Burrows was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

. Burrows published an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

covering his experiences in the war, ''Pathway Among Men'', in 1974 (). Burrows died in Christchurch on 10 June 1991.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrows, James Thomas 1904 births 1991 deaths New Zealand military personnel New Zealand international rugby union players People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School New Zealand brigadiers New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand military personnel of the Korean War New Zealand cricketers Canterbury cricketers New Zealand educators New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand rugby union players Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union hookers University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand rugby union coaches New Zealand national rugby union team coaches Heads of schools in New Zealand