Langleybury (St Paul) Churchyard, Abbots Langley
John William Dustan was the only son of John Dustan,
Brigade Surgeon AMD, and was born in Malta, 1st December,
1873. He entered College in 1883 and remained till 1891,
getting his football colours in 1887. He was a good
classical scholar, and the Principal (Mr. RH Chambers)
wanted him to enter for a Channel Islands Scholarship
at Oxford, but an academic career did not appeal to
him. He was granted a Queen's Cadetship, but elected
to enter the RMLI.
He went out to the China Station in 1898,
and was promoted Captain while there. He saw very hot
fighting in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 - went to the
relief of the force under Admiral Seymour, was in all
the fighting in and around Tientsin, being mentioned
in despatches for his services there, and marched with
the Naval Brigade to the relief of the Legations at
Peking. He was Commandant at Ascension from 1908 to
1910, and was promoted Major in 1911.
In 1913 he went to sea in the flagship
HMS "St. Vincent" and was serving in her when
the war began. The terrible exposure of the first winter,
1914-1915, the long spells of "spotting" in
the icy cold of the conning-tower sometimes as much
as six hours at a stretch told their tale, and his health
broke down completely towards the end of 1915. He lingered
on in various hospitals and convalescent homes until
his death on 2nd July, 1917. He left a widow and one
boy, JAR Dustan, who was at College from 1913 to 1916.
Dustan won the esteem and affection of
his brother officers and men; his quiet efficiency and
his generous self-effacing character were the very embodiment
of the noble service to which he belonged.
Commonwealth
War Graves Commission Record
