Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

SALTER William Fulton AM MB BS FRANZCP DPM

1912- 2006

William Fulton Salter was born in Angaston, SA, on 21st September 1912. He was the son of Alfred Fulton Salter and Sarah Hearn, nee Wilkinson. Salter came from a family of six sisters and one brother, Fulton Keith Salter. He was educated at Scotch College, Adelaide, and studied medicine, at the University of Adelaide, where he graduated MB BS in 1936, and in his early years was an amateur boxer. He married Iris Jean Giles on 10th December 1938. She was the daughter of Mr and Mrs E Giles of Broken Hill, NSW. He was appointed as a medical officer to Parkside Mental Hospital in 1939.

Salter was called up for part-time duty, in the AAMC, from the CMF, at the rank of captain, on 23rd September 1942.  He was living in Cleland Avenue, Dulwich at the time and named his wife, Jean as his next of kin. Salter served in 105 AMH and 52 ACH until 21st December 1942. He enlisted, at Strathalbyn, in the 2/AIF, on 22nd March 1943, serving until 26th September 1946. Throughout the war, Salter served within Australia, in SA, NT, NSW and WA, he finally returned to SA. He had served in 108 Australian Convalescent Hospital, 12 FdAmb, 28 Bn, 114 AGH, 105 AMH and at Hollywood AMH, in WA. He served in the Northern Territory, north of parallel 141/2 degrees south, from 11th August 1943 until 21st August 1944, enabling him to receive all his war benefits. He was finally posted as MO to 105 AMH, in Adelaide, on 18th February 1946, where he stayed until his discharge and transfer to the Reserve of Officers on 28th September 1946.

Following his discharge from the military, Salter took up the appointment of deputy superintendent at the Northfield (later Hillcrest) Mental Hospital and remained in this position until 1962. Immediately following the war, the hospital was poorly resourced to care for the just under 1000 patients. He was known to cover the large grounds of the hospital on his bicycle with his German Shepherd dog by his side. He obtained the DPM (London) in 1951 and later the FANZCP. Fulton became the superintendent at Hillcrest Hospital an appointment he held until his retirement in 1977. During this time, Fulton led the radical change in the management of mental illness from custodial care to a therapeutic model of care and the introduction of specialist training for psychiatric nurses in SA. Against much opposition Fulton unlocked doors, and with the use of the new drugs built a community at the hospital site, where patients had a real part to play in their rehabilitation. A printing press at Northfield resulted in an in-house publication, hobby clubs, sporting groups and a flourishing concert party developed and helped support group therapy and give patients a sense of control over their recovery. He saw, before most of his colleagues, that alcoholics were people who had a disease which could be treated. He initiated the SA State Committee on Alcoholism which, 25 years later, in 1981, was the Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Fulton established recovery groups later to be known as GROW groups which enabled patients to move back into the community outside the hospital. GROW is now a flourishing network of support groups Australia wide. Fulton’s contribution was recognised, in January 1978, when he became a member of the Order of Australia (AM). William Fulton Salter died, in Adelaide on 9th April 2006.

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