(Edwin) Harry Medlin (2 January 1920 – 6 March 2013) was Deputy Chancellor of the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

from 1978 to 1997.

Early life and education

Medlin was born in Orroroo on 2 January 1920. His younger brother was the philosopher and activist Brian Medlin. He was sent to school in Adelaide, then studied at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries from 1936 to 1939. He worked for the

Adelaide Electric Supply Company The Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) was the South Australian Government-owned monopoly vertically integrated electricity provider from 1946 until its privatisation in 1999. Precursors Early days (1882–1900) Charles Todd, an e ...

and enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

prior to Australia joining the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was commissioned in 1939 and promoted to Captain in 1940. He was serving in the 2/1st Fortress Company on the island of

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

when he was captured by the Japanese and held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

in Timor from 23 February 1942 and transferred to Batavia in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

in September 1942 until he was freed on 23 September 1945. He was awarded the

Efficiency Medal The Efficiency Medal was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men after twelve years of efficient service on the active list of the Militia (United Kingdom), Militia or the Army Reserve (Unit ...

and five campaign stars and medals before leaving the army in 1946. He returned to Adelaide on a troop train from Melbourne on 28 October 1945. He had returned to Australia on the Hospital ship ''Manunda'' after being recovered from the POW camp on 18 September and started the journey home via Singapore on 23 September 1945. Medlin studied under the

Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme (CRTS) was an Australian government scheme started during World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is rese ...

at the

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in 1949, Honours in 1951 and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science of determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to Diffraction, diffract in specific directions. By measuring th ...

in 1956.

Career and research

Medlin began lecturing at the university in 1951, rising to Associate Professor by 1974. He retired in 1985, but remained in the University environment, including becoming inaugural chair of the Alumni Association. He was a member of the University Senate Standing Committee from 1965 to 1980, and the University Council from 1967 to 2003. He was Deputy Chancellor of the University from 1978 to 1997. Medlin was awarded the degree of

Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

in 1987, and the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

in 2001 "For creative and productive involvement in all aspects of the work, life and culture of universities". Medlin's interests included membership and administrative roles in the University of Adelaide Staff Association, the Federation of Australian University Staff Associations, the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild, the University of Adelaide Postgraduate Students Association (APSA) and the

Adelaide University Union YouX, officially the Adelaide University Union (AUU), is a Students' union, student union at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. It provides academic advocacy, welfare and counselling services to students free of charge, funds the s ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medlin, Harry People from Orroroo, South Australia University of Adelaide alumni 1920 births 2013 deaths Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army officers Australian prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Japan