Pamela Barton
Encyclopedia
Pamela Espeut "Pam" Barton (4 March 1917 – 13 November 1943) was an English
amateur golf
er. Known as "Pam," she was born in the London
suburb of Barnes, the daughter of Henry Charles Johnston Barton and Ethel Maude Barton.
In 1934, aged 17, she won the French International Ladies Golf Championship and after being runner-up in 1934 and 1935, she won the 1936 British Ladies Amateur. She then traveled to the Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit
, New Jersey
where she won the U.S. Women's Amateur over Maureen Orcutt
. Her victory was the first by a foreign competitor in 23 years and the first time in 27 years that a player held both the British and U.S.
titles simultaneously.
Barton was a member of the British team to compete in the 1934 and 1936 Curtis Cup
and in 1937 her book A Stroke a Hole was published in the United Kingdom
by Blackie & Son.
In 1939, Barton won her second British Ladies Amateur but following the outbreak of World War II
she immediately signed up as an ambulance
driver and served in London through the Battle of Britain
. In early 1941 she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF) with which she served as a Flight Officer
in command of a staff of more than 600 at one of the largest stations.
In November 1943, 26-year-old Pam Barton was killed in the service of her country in an air crash. She is buried with military markings at the Margate Cemetery in Margate
, Kent
.
In her honor, the "Pam Barton Memorial Salver" is awarded to the winner of the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship.
In his 2001 book, The Golf 100: Ranking the Greatest (Female) Golfers of All Time, Robert McCord
ranked Pamela Barton 34th.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
amateur golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. Known as "Pam," she was born in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
suburb of Barnes, the daughter of Henry Charles Johnston Barton and Ethel Maude Barton.
In 1934, aged 17, she won the French International Ladies Golf Championship and after being runner-up in 1934 and 1935, she won the 1936 British Ladies Amateur. She then traveled to the Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where she won the U.S. Women's Amateur over Maureen Orcutt
Maureen Orcutt
Maureen Orcutt was an American amateur golfer and reporter for the New York Times.Born in New York City, Orcutt made it to the finals of the 1927 U.S. Women's Amateur but lost to Miriam Burns Horn. In 1928 and 1931 she won the tournament Medal for the lowest score and in 1932 tied for the honor....
. Her victory was the first by a foreign competitor in 23 years and the first time in 27 years that a player held both the British and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
titles simultaneously.
Barton was a member of the British team to compete in the 1934 and 1936 Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
and in 1937 her book A Stroke a Hole was published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Blackie & Son.
In 1939, Barton won her second British Ladies Amateur but following the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she immediately signed up as an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
driver and served in London through the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. In early 1941 she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF) with which she served as a Flight Officer
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
in command of a staff of more than 600 at one of the largest stations.
In November 1943, 26-year-old Pam Barton was killed in the service of her country in an air crash. She is buried with military markings at the Margate Cemetery in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
In her honor, the "Pam Barton Memorial Salver" is awarded to the winner of the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship.
In his 2001 book, The Golf 100: Ranking the Greatest (Female) Golfers of All Time, Robert McCord
Robert McCord
Robert M. "Rob" McCord is the Treasurer of Pennsylvania.- Biography :Born on March 5, 1959, Robert Maxwell McCord was born in California. When he was 10 he moved to Ardmore PA and later attended Lower Merion High School. After graduating from Lower Merion High, McCord took a year off and then went...
ranked Pamela Barton 34th.