Australian Women's Register

An initiative of The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) in conjunction with The University of Melbourne

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Walton, Nancy Bird (1915 - 2009)

AO, OBE, OSJ

Born
16 October 1915
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died
13 January 2009
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Pilot

Summary

Nancy Bird Walton was Australia's youngest female pilot.She was awarded imperial honours for her work with the Far West Children's Health Scheme.

Details

Nancy Bird Walton was born in Sydney in 1915. In 1933, at the age of 17, she became the youngest Australian woman to gain a pilot's licence. One year later she obtained her commercial licence.

In 1937-1938 Walton operated a charter service in Queensland followed by a two year world tour studying civil aviation. In 1950 she founded the Australian Women's Pilots' Association. She won the Ladies Trophy in the South Australian Centenary Air Race from Brisbane to Adelaide in 1936 and came fifth in the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race, America, in 1958.

Walton was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) in 11 June 1966 for her work as pilot to the Far West Children's Health Scheme. She was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia on 26 January 1990 for 'service to aviation, particularly the participation of women in aviation'.

Archival resources

Australian War Memorial Research Centre

  • Nancy Bird Walton and Gwen Stark, 1940, 044462; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton, Margaret Wakehurst and Gwen Stark, 1940, 044626; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton, Margaret Wakehurst and Gwen Stark, 1940, 044627; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton, Margaret Wakehurst and Gwen Stark, 1940, 044624; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • Photos, poster, booklet; Walton, Nancy B (Commander, Women's Air Training Corps (WATC)), c. 1941 - , 3DRL/6169; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • Walton, Nancy-Bird (Women's Air Training Scheme), 3DRL/7865; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details
  • The Women's [Australian] Flying Club, 1940, F04677; Stark, Amy Gwendoline (1910 - 1994), Stark, Gwen; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

  • Edwards and Shaw (Firm) - further records,1945-1984, MLMSS 3107 ADD-ON 2232; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Jean Fleming Arnot - personal and professional papers, 1890-1995, 1890 - 1995, MLMSS 3147 ADD-ON 2070/1-15; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton - further papers, MLMSS; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton - papers, 1933-1995, 1933 - 1995, MLMSS 6490; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton - photographs, ca. 1930-1991, c. 1930 - 1991, PXE 787; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Nancy Bird Walton - scrapbooks, 1938, ca 1997-2001, c. 1997 - 2001, MLMSS 7145; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Ros Bowden - interviews conducted for radio programmes and documentaries, ca.1975 - 1989, c. 1975 - 1989, Z MLOH 304; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Shirley Anderson - papers, 1928-1997, 1928 - 1997, MLMSS 6910; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

  • Papers of Walton, Nancy Bird, 1915-, 1933? - 1972, MS 3862; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details
  • Papers of Blackburn, Helen, Lady, 1918-, 1944 - 1990, MS 9146; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

The Australian Women's Register Exhibitions

Books

  • De Vries, Susanna, The Complete Book of Great Australian Women: Thirty-six women who changed the course of Australia, HarperCollins, Sydney, 2003. Details
  • Flynn, Randal, Nancy Bird, born to fly, Macmillan, South Melbourne, 1991, 32 pp. Details
  • Hughes, Robin and Heimans, Frank, Nancy Bird [videorecording] : born 1915 : aviatrix, Film Australia, Lindfield, NSW, 1992. Details
  • Walton, Nancy Bird, My God! its a woman : the autobiography of Nancy Bird, Angus & Robertson, North Ryde, N.S.W., 1990, 216 pp. Details

Online Resources

See also

  • Lofthouse, Andrea (ed.), Who's who of Australian women, Methuen Australia, North Ryde (NSW), 1982, 504 pp. Details

Digital resources

Title
Australian Women's Flying Club
Type
Image
Date
1940
Control
044627
Source
Australian War Memorial

Details

Clare Land

Created: 24 September 2002, Last modified: 1 June 2009

Site-wide information and acknowledgements

National Foundation for Australian Women The University of Melbourne, eScholarship Research Centre

http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0124b.htm

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