W. H. Downing W. H. Downing i(A121859 works by) (a.k.a. Walter H. Downing; Walter Hubert Downing)
Born: Established: 1893 Portland, Portland area, Western District, Victoria, ; Died: Ceased: 30 Oct 1965
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

When Downing enlisted for military service in 1915, he was studying law at the University of Melbourne. During World War I, he served on the Western Front as a non-commissioned officer in the 57th Battalion AIF. He was awarded the Military Medal in 1917, for his actions near Glencorse Wood, in Northern France. On returning to Australia he completed his law degree and then worked as a Melbourne solicitor.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon To the Last Ridge : The World War I Experiences of W.H. Downing Melbourne : Australasian Authors' Agency , 1920 Z1850038 1920 single work autobiography 'Written just after the heat of the battle and in the language of the time, this is the personal account of an ordinary soldier's experience of one of the most horrific series of battles ever fought. Fleurbaix, Bapaume, Beaumetz, Lagincourt, Bullecourt, The Menin Road, Villers-Bretonneux, Peronne and Mont St. Quentin. Downing describes the mud, the rats, the constant pounding of the guns, the deaths, the futility, but also the humour and the heroism of one of the most compelling periods in world history. His writing is spare but vivid, and presents a graphic description of an ordinary person's struggle to survive. Walter Downing was a Melbourne law student before fighting on the Western Front, where he won the Military Medal.' (Publisher's blurb)
1921 winner Dublin Prize
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Last amended 24 Mar 2014 17:00:39
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