Pamela Espeut Barton
(1917–1943)

Biographical

Barton took up golf in her early teens alongside her elder sister Mervyn, later Sutherland-Pilch, and both quickly showed uncommon promise. After initial instruction from J. H. Taylor at Royal Mid-Surrey, Pamela’s game was reshaped under the guidance of Archie Compston at Coombe Hill, whose direct and unconventional approach curtailed her swing and turned an inconsistent talent into a formidable competitor. Allied to a natural aptitude was an exceptional physical power and fierce appetite for competition that distinguished her from most of her peers. Early success came with her sister in the Bystander Foursomes of 1933, followed soon afterwards by a notable run to the final of the Ladies’ Championship while still at school, a performance that brought immediate international selection. By her late teens Barton was representing Britain and England regularly, winning the French International Ladies Golf Championship in 1934 and competing in the Curtis Cup in America. The mid-1930s saw her at the centre of the women’s game, including a closely fought championship semi-final against her sister and a demanding tour of Australasia that prepared her for a remarkable 1936 season. That year she secured her first British Ladies’ Amateur title and then crossed the Atlantic to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur crown, achieving a rare double previously managed only once before. Further honours followed, including a second British title in 1939, her forceful style proving well suited to the northern links. War brought Barton's competitive career to an abrupt close, and she enlisted in the Womens Auxiliary Air Force. She served first as an ambulance driver during the London blitz and later joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as a radio operator, receiving a commission and being stationed in Kent. Barton died in a flying accident at RAF Detling where she had gone to attend a social event. Aged only twenty-six, she left behind a short yet exceptional sporting record. Today, the Pamela Barton Memorial Salver is awarded to the winner of The Women’s Amateur Championship.

Place of birth: Barnes, Greater London
Place of death: Detling, Kent
Place of burial: St John's cemetery, Margate

Daughter of Henry Barton and Ethel Espeut.