Hugh Gilchrist attended Cranbrook School before graduating in arts and law from The University of Sydney. He served in Papua New Guinea during World War II and was a sub-editor of the army magazine Salt. Following the war, Gilchrist joined the then Department of External Affairs. He took up a position with the High Commission in London 1947 and also served in various roles as an Australian representative to the United Nations. His locations included France, Greece and South Africa. Gilchrist's ambassadorial appointments included Tanganyika (later Tanzania), Greece and Spain.
In his retirement, Gilchrist spent four years as a member of the Literature Board of the Australia Council and also published his three-volume work, Australians and Greeks.
Source: David Anderson, 'Tales of Diplomacy and Adventure Earned through a Life Less Ordinary', Sydney Morning Herald, (16 November 2010): 22
