Clyde Cornwall Fenton OBE (16 May 1901 – 28 February 1982) was the Northern Territory's first flying doctor. Unlike the other doctors with the

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

, Fenton was also his own pilot. Fenton was a self-taught pilot, and flew without the aid of any navigation equipment, air charts, and often proper landing strips. He enjoys a particular renown as a unique and dashing Territory character.

Biography

Clyde Fenton graduated as a medical doctor in 1925 from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He then had a stint in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in England in 1928. Fenton returned to Australia and headed outback, first to

Wyndham, Western Australia Wyndham is the northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for ...

and then on to Darwin. Fenton earned his pilot's licence with a goal to join the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

, but the founder, Reverend John Flynn, had a policy of not using doctors as pilots. As a result, Fenton privately raised money for an aircraft, and in March 1934 arrived in Katherine as the Government Medical Officer. He started an aerial ambulance rescue service which grew into the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service. Calls for medical assistance came through the two RFDS stations at

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as ...

and Wyndham, and were relayed by telegram. Fenton utilised primitive bush strips and runways to pick up the patients and return them to Katherine for medical treatment. With no navigational equipment or radios, landings were made on strips lit by kerosene flares or car lights, and only the railway lines and the Katherine River were available to estimate his position. To the Civil Aviation Department Fenton was a disaster, but to the people of the Top End, he was a hero. During his career he survived plane crashes, made a flight to China in a small open aircraft, and was once stranded for five days after a forced landing. On 14 May 1940 he received his call up for the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

by telegram. He was eventually based at Manbulloo airstrip near Katherine, from where he made many emergency medical flights. In August 1942 the No 6 Communications Flight was formed with Flight Lieutenant Fenton in command. This unit delivered mail and food supplies to army and RAAF outposts, as far afield as the Wessell Islands. The unit was at various times based at the Ross Smith Aerodrome in Darwin, and at the Batchelor airstrip. Fenton left the Territory after the war for Melbourne, where he died on 27 February 1982. One of the planes he flew, a

Gipsy Moth The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Development The DH.60 was developed from the larger DH.51 biplane. ...

, is on display at the Fenton Hangar at the Katherine Historical Society Precinct. His name was also given to a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

airstrip,

Fenton Airfield Fenton Airfield was a World War II military airfield in the Northern Territory of Australia located at Tipperary Station in what is now the locality of Douglas-Daly and named after flight lieutenant Clyde Fenton. Abandoned since 1945, the ...

near Hayes Creek, and is remembered by the Clyde Fenton Primary School in Katherine.

Awards

Oswald Watt Gold Medal The Oswald Watt Gold Medal is an Australian aviation award named for Oswald Watt (1878–1921), a decorated pilot in World War I. It originated in 1921 after the death of Oswald Watt and is awarded for "A most brilliant performance in the air or th ...

, an Australian aviation award.

Namesakes

* Clyde Fenton Primary School,

Katherine, Northern Territory Katherine is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated on the Katherine River, after which it is named, southeast of Darwin. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory and is known as the place where "The outbac ...

, Australia *

, World War II airfield in the Northern Territory, Australia *Clyde Fenton Hangar, Katherine Historical Society Precinct,

, Australia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Clyde 1901 births 1982 deaths Australian aviators Australian emergency physicians Australian World War II pilots Aviation pioneers History of the Northern Territory Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Xavier College People from Warrnambool Royal Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II University of Melbourne alumni Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia people Military personnel from Victoria (Australia)