Alan Burrough,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(22 February 1917 – 23 July 2002) was a British businessman, army officer and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

. He was Chairman of James Burrough Ltd, the distiller of

Beefeater Gin Beefeater Gin is a brand of gin owned by Pernod Ricard and bottled and distributed in the United Kingdom. Beefeater remained in the Burrough's family control until 1987. It is a 47% or 44% alcohol product (94 proof) in the US, and a 40% alcoh ...

. Burrough rowed at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes f ...

then at

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at H ...

. He rowed ten times at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thr ...

, reaching the final on six occasions but never winning. He was Captain of Thames in 1946-47 and President from 1978 until ill health forced him to retire a short while before his death. He was appointed a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta in 1951 and was on the Management Committee from 1960 to 1985. In 1987 he and his wife Rosie donated £515,000 to the regatta, enabling the purchase of a lease of

Temple Island Temple Island is an eyot (being a small riverine island) in the River Thames in England just north (downstream) of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The island is on the reach above Hambleden Lock between the Buckinghamshire and Berkshire banks, ...

for 999 years. Burrough married Rosemary June Bruce (Rosie) in November 1939. In the Second World War, Burrough served as an artillery observation officer in North Africa and lost the lower part of his right leg. He was the owner of Corbiere (though the horse was registered in his son's name), which won the 1983 Grand National.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burrough, Alan 1917 births 2002 deaths Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century British businesspeople