Australian Dictionary of Biography

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Award of ADB Medal to Alec Hill for long and distinguished service (2004)

Citation

Alec Hill has been associated with the Australian Dictionary of Biography for more than 30 years.  He has been a member of the Armed Forces Working Party since its formation in 1974, and was Chairman from 1982 to 1994.  Through his deep knowledge of Australian military history, he has played a key role in selecting subjects for ADB articles and authors to write them.  The Working Party has also benefited greatly from his common sense, balance and good humour.

Alec Hill has written 38 articles including two that will appear in Volume 17.  Most of the articles have been major pieces of 1500 words or more.  All have been on military people, although two were placed on the Commonwealth list and two on the New South Wales list because they also had substantial civilian  careers.  His subjects have included prominent generals such as Birdwood, Berryman, Chauvel, Elliott, Hutton, Hobbs, Macarthur-Onslow, Morshead, Rosenthal, Rowell, Ryrie and Wootten.  Sometimes Alec has been able to draw on his personal knowledge of the subject, but always his articles have been marked by careful scholarship, penetrating analysis, elegant style and sound judgement.  As a lecturer in military history at the Royal Military College in the 1960s and 1970s, he encouraged a generation of military historians, many of whom have also written for the ADB.  He continued this custom in retirement, often reading drafts for young historians.

As a member and chairman of the Armed Forces Working Party and as an author and teacher, Alec Hill has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian Dictionary of Biography and to scholarship in this country’s military history.