A specialist in aviation medicine, Wendy Clay is most impressive for the many firsts she achieved as a woman in the military. This UBC medical school graduate was the first female officer cadet in the Royal Canadian Navy, the first woman to achieve her pilot’s wings in the Canadian Air Forces, the first woman to earn a degree in aviation medicine, and, perhaps most notably the first female Surgeon General in the Armed Forces.
Wendy Clay was born and raised in British Columbia. In 1965, at 23 years of age, she commenced her military career by enrolling in the navy, under the Medical Officer Training Program. She was still a medical student then, and was posted 1967 to the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, upon the completion of her degree. In Trenton, Clay served as a general duty medical officer before starting her first training to become a Canadian Forces flight surgeon.
Over her 30-year military career, Clay rose steadily through the ranks and held various positions of prestige—some of which women had never before occupied. In 1977, she was promoted to lieutenant-colonel; in 1982 she was made colonel; in 1989 she became brigadier general; in 1992 she was made deputy surgeon general; and finally, in 1994, Wendy Clay was promoted to both major-general and surgeon-general simultaneously.
Of all her groundbreaking achievements, it was getting her pilot’s wings in 1974 that stands out to Wendy Clay herself as the most impressive. It would be another six years before this was even a possibility for women in the military.
While she primarily served at home in a range of positions in cities and towns throughout Canada, she also completed a six-month tour of duty with the Canadian United Nations contingent in the Middle East. At home, her appointments included impressive positions such as Director of Preventative Medicine, Commandant of the National Defence Medical Centre, and ultimately Surgeon-General.
In 1998 Wendy Clay retired from the military and returned to British Columbia. She currently resides in Victoria, where she spends her time volunteering for various causes and organizations.
