Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

CROMPTON David Owen AO MB BS FRACS

FRANZCO DO

1915-2006

David Owen Crompton was born on 18th November 1915, in Parkside, SA. He was the son of Owen Crompton and Sarah Crompton, nee Simpson. He was the youngest of four children. He was educated at Prince Alfred College, SA, where he was head prefect.  He studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating MB BS in 1939. He completed a resident year at the RAH before he enlisted in WW2. He was married to Mary Ella Isaachsen in 1940. She was the only daughter of Oscar and Ella Isaachsen, of Hawthorn, SA.  Her brother Alan was killed in action in 1942. Crompton and his wife had three sons Owen, John and Andrew. All followed their father with a career in medicine and the latter two both joined the CMF, Andrew going on to regular army service.

Crompton initially joined the CMF as a captain AAMC but was called up for full-time duty on 25th November 1940. He enlisted on 17th December 1940 at Wayville, SA. He gave his next of kin as his wife whose address was 42 George Street, Hawthorn, SA. He was initially attached to the ACH, at Wayville, before being sent to the School of Tropical Medicine on 21st June 1941. Following completion of the course he was granted leave pending appointment to the 2/AIF and ceased to be on full-time duty on 30th July 1941. He was allocated as part of reinforcements for 2/8th FdAmb and embarked for the Middle East on the transport ship GG from Melbourne on 3rd September 1941. After a bout of respiratory and sinus trouble he was sent to an Infantry Training Bn. On 3rd January 1942 he was posted to 8th Special Hospital and then attached to 2/6 AGH on 14th September 1942, with an attachment to Base Coy AAMC 17th September 1942. Crompton had a brief deployment to HQ AIF Middle East before returning to 2/6 AGH. He embarked in the Middle East for return to Australia, on 31st January 1943, disembarking in Melbourne on 25th February 1943. He was posted to 9 Div Royal Australian Engineers on 1st June in readiness for service in Milne Bay PNG on 6th August 1943. He was evacuated due to health issues on 12th September 1943 and evacuated back to the mainland by air via 110 CCS and 14 AGH amongst others and, eventually to 105 AGH at Daw Park. He was discharged on 26th December 1943 and placed on Retired List.

Following the war, Crompton studied ophthalmology at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital gaining his Diploma of Ophthalmology in 1946 and went on to gain his FRACS in 1957. Crompton returned to Adelaide and joined Geoffrey Barham Black in private practice. They were later joined by other Ophthalmologists including one of Crompton’s sons, John. He was appointed to the Visiting Staff of the RAH in 1946 and appointed as Head of Ophthalmology in 1963. He retired from the RAH in 1980. He also had appointments at the ACH and QVMH and was consultant to Townsend House for Deaf and Dumb and to the Royal Society for the Blind. He had several other appointments including; the Charles Goss Lecturer for Ophthalmology for the University of Adelaide, the Councillor for the Royal College of Ophthalmology and was on the Council of the Australian Association of Surgeons. With Father Frank Flynn, a catholic priest, a missionary in Central Australia and during the war a chaplain with 113, 109. 117 and 129 AGH, Crompton raised concerns with respect to the effects of trachoma on the aboriginal population. He published many papers on a variety of issues related to ophthalmology in association with Dr Kevin Anderson especially with respect to infection and the need to sterilise eye medication. Thus, Australia became the first country to mandate sterility of eye drops. After Mary died he married Margaret Kirkwood. Crompton was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1984 for his service to ophthalmology. He continued his interests in gourmet food and wine, contract bridge and travel after his retirement. He was a generous benefactor of the arts and helped a number of medical students complete their studies. David Owen Crompton died on 8th August 2006.  His second wife and three sons survived him.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD