Henry Matthew John Windsor MS MB (1914 - 1987)

Born 27 Oct 1914 in County Cork, Ireland

Husband of Imelda Mary (Burfitt) Windsor — married 29 Aug 1942 in Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

Died 20 Mar 1987 at age 72 in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Harry Windsor MS MB is Notable.

Doctor Henry 'Harry' Windsor MS MB was an Irish-born Australian cardiac surgeon. He served as a doctor during the Second World World War with the Australian Army Medical Corps; mostly in New Guinea. After the war he worked at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney for numerous years and pioneered several surgical procedures in Australia. In 1968 he carried out Australia's first heart transplant. He was a mentor to renowned heart surgeon Victor Chang.

Henry 'Harry' Matthew John Windsor was born on 27th October 1914 at County Cork, Ireland. He was the eldest of five children of Irish parents, Henry Windsor, a physician and surgeon, and Norah Carroll, a nurse.^[1]

Harry Windsor MS MB migrated from Ireland to Queensland.

With his parents Harry migrated to Queensland, Australia in 1916. Harry attended the Christian Brothers at Gregory Terrace, Brisbane, and Nudgee College. ^[1]

Harry trained at University of Queensland University and then the University of Sydney, gaining second-class honours in medicine and graduating in 1939 with a Bachelor of Medicine (MB). Later, he obtained a Bachelor of Surgery (BS) and a Master of Surgery (MS), both in 1945. ^[1]

Harry married Imelda Burfitt, a secretary, on 29th August 1942 at St John's College Chapel, Camperdown, New South Wales. ^[2] They had five sons and a daughter. ^[1]

Harry Windsor MS MB is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1942-1946
Australian Army Medical Corps

Harry began full-time service in the Australian Army Medical Corps, Citizen Military Forces on 8th May 1942 at the rank of Captain. He was posted to the 11th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) at Camden, but volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and on 11th July 1942 he transferred and was re-assigned to the 111th CCS. From July 1943 to March 1944 and April to September 1944 Harry served in New Guinea, including the Ramu Valley campaign. From July 1944 he was a medical officer with the 2/15th Field Ambulance. On 27th August 1945 he embarked for Singapore with the 2/14th Australian General Hospital, with whom he was sent with a team to Sumatra in September to search for the Australian prisoner-of-war nurses from the Vyner Brooke. In his written account later, the deep feelings of this normally intensely controlled man occasionally burst through: 'Camp conditions were everywhere shocking ... All POWs state that the majority of the guards were cruel in the extreme. Collective punishment was universally adopted and usually consisted of flogging, kickings and beatings ... I recommend that all Kempi (the Kempei Tai, the military police arm of the Imperial Army) be forthwith slowly and painfully butchered'. ^[1]