Historical information

The women watch on…

18 year-old Miss Pamela Barton of England is teeing off at the ninth hole, watched by her competitor Miss Janet Gardiner of Queensland and a gallery of intensely focussed spectators.

Both women went on to have diverse, non-sporting careers. During the Blitz and the Battle of Britain, Pam Barton (1917-1943) drove ambulances before joining the WAAF as a radio operator. Later she gained a commission as a Flight Officer in command of a staff of 600. In 1943, Pam was killed instantly when the RAF plane piloted by her unofficial fiancée crashed in heavy weather. The Pam Barton Memorial Salver is awarded to the winner of the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship. The inscription reads “In Affectionate Memory of Pam Barton”.

During WWII, Janet Gardiner (Mrs Jobson-Scott, 1907-1987) began manufacturing liquid hosiery at the Red Cross Link rooms as a fundraiser. Donated oyster bottles were used and they charged 2/6 for four ounces. However, in April 1942, in a broadcast to the women of Australia, the Minister for War Organisation of Industry, Mr Dedman, announced that leg make-up preparations were now a prohibited item. They contained titanium oxide, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of paints used for camouflaging military equipment. Other items of a woman’s “battle array” such as nail lacquer, some creams and suntan lotions were also banned as they contained ingredients used in munitions and medical supplies.

MCK136 Published: The Age 30 August 1935

Photographer notations on slide: "Vic Women's Ch'ship 1935 B98"
Published: The Age 30 August 1935 p. 9
Published title: CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF. WOMEN'S TITLE. Second Qualifying Round. BRITISH WOMEN IN FIRST FOUR PLACES.
Published caption: Miss PAM BARTON who established a new course record at Royal Melbourne in the second qualifying round of the Australian women's championship.
Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203989644

Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer:
MISS PAMELA BARTON
Miss Pamela Espeut Barton (1917–1943) was an English golf champion. Her tournament wins included the 1934 French International Ladies Golf Championship, the 1936 British Ladies Amateur and U S Women’s Amateur and the 1939 British Ladies Amateur.

Pam was part of the British Women’s Golf Team that travelled to Australia in 1935 to compete in the Australian Woman’s Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Course. At 18 years of age, she was the youngest British golfer in the visiting team. She was eliminated in the second round by Miss Betty Nankivell of Melbourne. The press described Pam, “the baby of the team”, as a "natural" at golf and a good sport who never wore a hat and "hit like a man"!

During the Blitz and The Battle of Britain, Pam drove ambulances for the London Ambulance Service, before joining the WAAF as a radio operator. Later she gained a commission as a Flight Officer in command of a staff of 600. Pam was stationed at RAF Manston, Kent where she met Flight Lieutenant Angus Ruffhead and they became romantically involved and reportedly “unofficially” engaged.

On Saturday 12 November 1943, Pam and Angus attended a dinner dance at RAF Detling, however as Pam was on duty at RAF Manston the next morning, Angus arranged to fly her. There had been heavy rain during the day, however by the end of the dance conditions had improved and the couple set off in the de Havilland Tiger Moth. Soon after the plane left the ground, it struck an aviation fuel tank and was engulfed in flames. Pam was killed instantly and Angus was injured.

Pam was buried at St John’s Margate church cemetery, her grave marked by a white military headstone. On January 6 1944, Angus led a mission of four planes over Le Touquet where they met intense fire. He took a direct hit and was pronounced Killed in Action. Angus is buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France. The “Pam Barton Memorial Salver” is awarded to the winner of the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship. The inscription reads – “In Affectionate Memory of Pam Barton”. An 18-hole golf course has been named after her at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, Richmond, London.

MISS JANET GARDINER
In 1935, Janet Margaret Grenville Gardiner (Mrs Janet Jobson-Scott, 1907-1987) competed in the Australian Women’s Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Course against the five visiting British women golfers. She was eliminated by Englishwoman Mrs Greenlees.

During WWII, Janet was involved in fundraising for the Red Cross and the Australian Comforts Fund. Nylon stockings were becoming increasingly difficult to acquire as nylon was needed for manufacturing parachutes, ropes and nets. She began to manufacture liquid hosiery (leg make up) at the Red Cross Line, Brisbane. They used donated oyster bottles and it was available in two shades “Rose Beige” and “Suntan”, costing 2/6 shillings for four ounces.

In 1941, a fashion parade was held at Brisbane’s Lennon’s Hotel in aid of Air Force House and Janet’s job was to apply liquid hosiery to the 12 mannequins. The parade featured beach fashion through the ages.

In April 1942, in a broadcast to the women of Australia, the Minister for War Organisation of Industry, Mr John Dedman, announced that leg makeup preparations were now a prohibited item. It contained titanium oxide, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of paints used for camouflaging army trucks and tanks. Other items which formed part of a woman’s “battle array” such as nail lacquer, and some creams and suntan lotions were also banned as they contained important ingredients used in munitions and medical supplies.

In 1942 Janet married “Tobruk Rat” Lieutenant David Collins Jobson-Scott of the AIF. After the war they lived at their property “Ballancar” in Inglewood Queensland. Janet died in 1987.

Physical description

Glass slide