Hugh Ward

Hugh Ward rowed for Australasia at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics although he was an Australian national. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1910 and was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship, then studying at New College, Oxford, where he earned diplomas in anthropology and public health. He also rowed for Oxford in 1913 and 1914.

During World War I Ward served in the Royal Army Medical Corps Special Reserve, becoming regimental medical officer of the 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps. He was wounded in action several times and in 1916 won the Military Cross for showing “an utter contempt for danger” while attending to wounded men. Taken prisoner at Nieuport, Belgium, in June 1917, he was released in March next year. He was gassed at Arras, France, but continued to serve. For his repeated acts of gallantry he was awarded two Bars to his M.C. and twice mentioned in despatches.

After the War, Ward continued experimental work at Oxford but in 1923-24 he was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship and studied in the department of bacteriology and immunology at Harvard University in the USA. He briefly returned to Oxford but returned to Harvard in 1926, joining the staff of Hans Zinsser to study infectious diseases. He mentored John F. Enders in researching infectious diseases and Enders would win the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1954 for his study of the poliomyelitis virus.

Ward returned to Australia in 1935 and became Bosch professor of bacteriology at the University of Sydney. He was a founding member in 1936 of the National Health and Medical Research Council. Ward chaired the Australian National Research Council in 1952-53 and helped smooth its transfer in 1954 to the newly formed Australian Academy of Science. He also served on the interim council (1948-51) and the council (1951-53) of the Australian National University.

Hugh Ward retired from the University of Sydney in 1952 and from 1952-69 was a medical officer with the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. He published his only book (with RJ Walsh) in 1957, A Guide to Blood Transfusion.