Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors

Constantine Trent Champion de Crespigny was born on 5 March 1882 at Queenscliff, Victoria, second son of Philip Champion de Crespigny and his first wife Annie Frances, née Chauncy.  Champion de Crespigny was educated at Brighton Grammar School and Trinity College, University of Melbourne (MB 1903; BS 1904; MD 1906).  He was a resident MO in Melbourne hospitals, from 1904 to 1907 then Glenthompson and married his first wife Beatrice in 1906.  He was appointed to the Adelaide Hospital in 1909 and specialised in pathology. He ultimately became Honorary Director of the hospital's pathology services in 1912 and a lecturer in pathology in the University of Adelaide’s medical school. He began a specialist physician practice at Gonville Chambers, 12 North Terrace and took residence at 132 Strangways Terrace, North Adelaide with his wife Beatrice.   

Champion de Crespigny was commissioned in the AAMC in 1907. He was described as 36 years old and married.  He joined the AIF in May 1915 as a lieutenant-colonel and was posted to 3AGH which was based on the island of Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign. He was promoted to temporary colonel on the 5th March 1917 and posted to command 1AGH at Rouen, France. After becoming sick in August 1917 he returned to Australia from England in November 1917. He was appointed colonel on 18th September 1917 and returned to England and in 1918 become consulting physician at A.I.F. headquarters in London. He completed his MRCP in 1919 and returned to Adelaide. He was Mentioned in Despatches July 1916 during the period of General Sir Charles Munro's command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He was awarded the DSO in June 1917 for distinguished and gallant services. He was issued with the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal with Oak Leaves.

Champion de Crespigny became an honorary physician at the Adelaide and the Adelaide Children's hospitals following WW1. He became FRCP in 1929 and was one of the senior Australian physicians involved in founding the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, of which he was president in 1942 to 1944.  Champion de Crespigny was president of the South Australian branch of the British Medical Association in 1925-26. He was awarded the VD in 1927. He presided over the medical section of the Australasian Medical Congress in Sydney in 1929. He was knighted in 1941 and became known as Sir Trent. Four years later he visited the United States of America where he inquired into medical postgraduate education, especially as it affected medical officers returned from WW2. He had four children, two sons and two daughters with his first wife, Beatrice, who died in 1943. He remarried in 1945 to Mary Jolley and they had a daughter Charlotte. Sir Constantine Trent Champion De Crespigny died at his home in Stirling South Australia on 27 October 1952, survived by his second wife and his five children.

DSO VD MD FRCP FRACP

Son of Philip CHAMPION de CRESPIGNY and Annie Frances nee CHAUNCY

Married Beatrice in 1906

Appointed to Adelaide Hospital in 1907

Practised at Gonville Chambers, 12 North Terace Adelaide.

Resided 132 Strangways Terrace, North Adelaide.

Knighted in 1941

Had two sons and two daughters from his first wife Beatrice who died in 1943

Remarried in 1945 to Mary JOLLEY and had one daughter

Died at home in Stirling South Australia