Constantine Trent Champion De Crespigny
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Sir Constantine Trent Champion de Crespigny, (pron. də kre'pəni) (5 March 1882 – 27 October 1952), generally referred to as C. T. C. de Crespigny or Sir Trent de Crespigny or Trent Champion de Crespigny, was a medical doctor,
clinical pathologist Clinical pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the Medical laboratory, laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue homogenates or extracts using the tools of clinic ...
, academic and hospital administrator in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.


Early life and career

De Crespigny was born on 5 March 1882 in
Queenscliff, Victoria Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe. At the , Queenscliff had a populati ...
(at that time spelled Queenscliffe), second son of Philip Champion de Crespigny, general manager of the Bank of Victoria (which became the
Commercial Banking Company of Sydney The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank. Hi ...
), and Annie Frances (née Chauncy). Philip's father, police magistrate Philip Robert Champion de Crespigny (1817 – 1889), was great-nephew of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet.Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, fortieth edition, Sir Bernard Burke, Harrison, London, 1878, p. 334 He was educated at Brighton Grammar School, then enrolled as a medical student at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
,
University of Melbourne 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 no ...
. After graduating with honours in 1903, he was appointed resident medical officer at Melbourne Hospital, and later at the Women's Hospital. In 1907, he began private practice in Western Victoria, then in Fitzroy, Victoria, and also served as honorary physician to St Vincent's Hospital. In 1908, de Crespigny was appointed medical superintendent of the Adelaide Hospital, and four years later returned to private practice with rooms on North Terrace, at the time Adelaide's equivalent to Harley Street, London or
Macquarie Street, Sydney Macquarie Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House at its northern end. Apart from connecting these two ...
. He became a hospital "honorary," and also lectured in
pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
at the
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
. He continued, in addition, as director of the hospital's pathology and
bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...
laboratory.


Military service

Captain de Crespigny joined the 31st Light Horse Field Ambulance,
Citizens Military Force The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...
, and was promoted lieutenant colonel in January 1913, captain (provisional) in January 1914, and major in January 1915. He joined the Australian Imperial FOrce for service in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and as Lieutenant Colonel de Crespigny left South Australia on 20 May 1915 aboard RMS ''Mooltan'', bound for
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
, Egypt, where he would serve as registrar and secretary of the 3rd Australian General Hospital. De Crespigny left Egypt for Gallipoli in August 1915, then on 28 September to the army hospital at
Mudros Moudros ( el, Μούδρος) is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eas ...
, on Lemnos, where he served as second in command. From there to Alexandria on 27 January 1916 and Heliopolis 20 February, Marseilles in April, then put in charge of the
1st Australian General Hospital The following is a list of Australian Army medical units in World War I. Field Ambulance 1st Division (Australia) * 1st Australian Field Ambulance (New South Wales) * 2nd Australian Field Ambulance (Victoria) * 3rd Australian Field Am ...
at Rouen, where he was mentioned in despatches while under command of General
Sir Charles Monro General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet, (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was a British Army General in the First World War. He held the post of Commander-in-Chief, India in 1916–1920. From 1923 to 1929 he was the Governor of Gibr ...
. He spent much of the period 6 November 1916 to 3 March 1917 in hospital suffering
cholecystitis Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Symptoms include right upper abdominal pain, pain in the right shoulder, nausea, vomiting, and occasionally fever. Often gallbladder attacks (biliary colic) precede acute cholecystitis. The pai ...
. He returned to command at Rouen as temporary colonel and was mentioned in despatches 9 June 1917 by
Sir Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...
and was recommended for 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, ty ...
. He was again hospitalised, from 2 to 12 August 1917, and on 18 September promoted to colonel. He was transferred to London headquarters on 13 October and returned to Australia on 1 November, where he was "struck off strength". De Crespigny re-enlisted on 25 June 1918 and left aboard SS ''Gaika'' on 6 August, disembarking in London on 13 October, where he served as consulting physician at AIF headquarters. He left for Australia on 16 March 1919, and with Lieutenant Colonel Cudmore and Colonel Michael "Mick" Downey transshipped to ''Dunluce Castle'' at Alexandria on 7 April, arrived in Adelaide on 13 May, and his appointment was terminated 28 May. While in England he was admitted as a member of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
.


Return to civilian life

De Crespigny returned to his previous life as a university lecturer, physician and hospital administrator: In 1923 he succeeded Harry Swift as Lecturer in Medicine at the
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
. In 1927 he was appointed to the Hospital advisory board on the resignation of Bronte Smeaton. In December 1928 he succeeded Dr. William Ray as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Adelaide. He was largely responsible for creation of the
Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science SA Pathology, (formerly the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS)), is an organisation providing diagnostic and clinical pathology services throughout South Australia for the public health sector. The headquarters are in Frome Road ...
(IMVS), for which the foundation stone was laid in August 1937 and opened May 1939. He was the board's first chairman. The memorial plaque to Sir Joseph Verco in the Frome Road building was instituted at de Crespigny's instigation. He was appointed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital Advisory Committee in 1940. He was vice-president of the South Australian Council of Speech Science and Speech Therapy from its foundation in August 1947. He was president of the
Royal Australasian College of Physicians The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training and educating physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand. The RACP is responsible for training both ...
1942–43, succeeded by Harold Ritchie of New South Wales. In 1945 he was sent to the US to investigate retraining of American battlefield doctors to civilian practices. De Crespigny had a home at 12 Strangways Terrace,
North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...
and from 1934 or earlier a (summer ?) residence "St Barberie", now at 9 Blackburn Drive,
Crafers The town of Crafers is in the Adelaide Hills to the south-east of Adelaide, South Australia, considered to be an outer suburb of Adelaide. History Crafers was named after David Crafer, who arrived in Adelaide in 1838 and moved to the area. ...
, but before subdivision on a much larger property. The house was built for Samuel Tomkinson, who named it "Mangona". close to
Summit Road A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...
. It narrowly escaped total destruction in the 1943 bushfire. De Crespigny died of hypertensive cardio-vascular disease at his Adelaide Hills home aged 70, after having spent some time in hospital. He had for a long time suffered from heart trouble, which had been accepted by the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated board as related to his war service.


Publications

While in America in 1945, de Crespigny wrote several articles for the Adelaide ''
Advertiser Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
'' on medical subjects. He also contributed notable articles to medical and scientific publications.


Recognition

*He was awarded a
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, ty ...
in the 1917 Birthday Honours list *He was awarded a
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration The Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was established in 1899 as recognition for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer in any of the organized military forces of the British Colo ...
c. 1927. *A
knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
was conferred on him in the
1941 New Year Honours The 1941 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1940.United Kingdom and Britis ...
. *His portrait, c. 1951 by
Ivor Hele Sir Ivor Henry Thomas Hele, CBE (13 June 1912 – 1 December 1993) was an Australian artist noted for portraiture. He was Australia's longest serving war artist and completed more commissioned works than any other in the history of Austr ...
, hung in the foyer of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, now
SA Pathology SA Pathology, (formerly the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS)), is an organisation providing diagnostic and clinical pathology services throughout South Australia for the public health sector. The headquarters are in Frome Road, ...
,
Frome Road, Adelaide Frome Road is a connecting road in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It starts from North Terrace in the Adelaide city centre, running in a northerly direction past the University of South Australia, the site of the old Royal Adela ...
.


Family

The family were of the French nobility, descending from Claude Champion de Crespigny, Sieur de Crespigny, whose three sons became free denizens of England by Act of Parliament, passed 5 March 1690. Sir Constantine de Crespigny married Beatrix Hughes (23 April 1884 – 11 November 1943) on 11 September 1906 at
Beaufort, Victoria Beaufort is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway midway between Ararat and Ballarat, in the Pyrenees Shire local government area. It is above sea level. At the 2016 census, Beaufort had a population of 1,539. ...
. She was a noted worker for MBHA and other charities. They had two sons and two daughters. :*Col. (Richard) Geoffrey "Geoff" Champion de Crespigny M.B.. B.S (Melb.), O.B.E. (16 June 1907 – 12 February 1966) married Kathleen Cavenagh Mainwaring Cudmore (27 June 1908 – 11 June 2013) on 10 June 1933. A widow, she married again, to George William Symes (1896–1980) on 30 March 1967. Kathleen was a daughter of Sir Arthur Cudmore. :*Nancy de Crespigny (27 November 1910 – 6 December 2003) married Hallam Movius (28 November 1907 – 30 May 1987) in London on 25 September 1936. Both were archaeologists; Hallam served with US military in WWII; by 1953 was a professor at Harvard University :*Margaret "Peggy" de Crespigny (1 January 1919 – 1989) served with Signals Unit during WWII, married Cornelis "Kees" in't Veld (15 February 1908 - 1994) c. 1946, lived
Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
,
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, Netherlands, Karachi, Pakistan and later settling in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
:*Adrian Norman Champion de Crespigny (1 January 1919 – 1993 ) a twin, he suffered brain injury from birth. Philip Champion de Crespigny (18 June 1879 – 14 July 1918), Dr. Francis George Travers "Frank" Champion de Crespigny (23 September 1892 – 19 December 1968) of
Ararat, Victoria Ararat ( Djabwurrung: ''Tallarambooroo'') is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and ...
, Air Vice Marshal Hugh Vivian Champion de Crespigny (8 April 1897 – 20 June 1969), Royalieu Dana "Roy" Champion de Crespigny (11 November 1905 – 10 February 1985) and Group Captain Claude Montgomery Champion de Crespigny, C.B.E. (1908– ) also with the Royal Air Force, were his brothers. Sir Constantine de Crespigny married secondly Mary Birks Jolley (1915 – 1994), a "music through movement" teacher of "Rendlesham",
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
, NSW on 13 December 1945, quietly at the
Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...
, St Peter's Cathedral. They had one daughter, Charlotte Francis de Crespigny (1948 – ), a professor in the field of drug and alcohol nursing at the University of Adelaide. Mary de Crespigny was a qualified exponent of the Dalcroze method of music education in recognition of her "long and faithful work" with
Heather Gell Heather Doris Gell (19 May 1896 – 23 October 1988) was an Australian kindergarten teacher and early proponent of Dalcroze eurhythmics to Australia. She also worked as a radio broadcaster, television presenter and theatre producer. Early li ...
, and on the recommendation of Anne Addison, principal of the Kindergarten Training College in Adelaide. She was a Licentiate of Music, Australia; a Licentiate of the
Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...
, London; and a member of the Australian Music Examinations Board. She lectured in music education at the Kindergarten College, was a supervisor of music in the Kindergarten Union kindergartens. She also ran eurhythmics classes at several private secondary schools and at
Adelaide High School Adelaide High School is a coeducational state high school situated on the corner of West Terrace and Glover Avenue in the Adelaide Parklands. Following the Advanced School for Girls, it was the second government high school in South Australi ...
.


References


External links


Blog by Anne Young, a descendant
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Crespigny, Constantine 1882 births 1952 deaths People educated at Brighton Grammar School People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) Australian Army officers Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian hospital administrators Australian Knights Bachelor Australian military personnel of World War I Australian pathologists Academic staff of the University of Adelaide Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians