Editing Alick Downer (section)

==Family, early life and career==
Downer was born in [[Adelaide]] as a member of the influential [[Downer family]]. His father, [[John Downer|Sir John Downer]], was a [[Premier of South Australia]] and a member of the [[Australian Senate]] and was 66-years old at the time of his birth; he died when Alick was aged five.<ref name=adb>{{cite book | url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/downer-sir-alexander-russell-alick-12434 |title=Downer, Sir Alexander Russell (Alick) (1910–1981)|chapter=Sir Alexander Russell (Alick) Downer (1910–1981) |work=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]|publisher=[[Australian National University]]|accessdate=30 May 2012}}</ref> His mother was Una Russell, daughter of [[Henry Chamberlain Russell]], who remarried when Alick was eight, to D’Arcy Wentworth Addison.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article123226399 |title=Interesting Weddings. |newspaper=[[The Sunday Times (Sydney, Australia)|Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895–1930)]] |location=Sydney, NSW |date=2 March 1919 |accessdate=3 February 2016 |page=2 |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]]}}</ref><ref>Downer, Alick (2012). ''The Downers of South Australia'', p. 114. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}}</ref> Sir Alick's son, [[Alexander Downer]], also a Liberal politician, was Leader of the Opposition in 1994–95 and Foreign Minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, before becoming [[Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom]] from 2014 to 2018, five decades after Alick held the same role.

He was educated at [[Geelong Grammar School]] and at the [[University of Oxford]], where he graduated in economics and political science. He was the godfather of [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer]], brother of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]. The Earl's godmother was [[Queen Elizabeth II]].

After graduating from Oxford in 1932 he read law in London, and in 1934 he was admitted to the bar at [[Inner Temple]]. Returning to Adelaide, he joined the South Australian Bar in 1935. He practised as a barrister until joining the [[Australian Army]] in 1940. He served in [[British Malaya|Malaya]] and was a prisoner-of-war for three years,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040522092342/http://www.angelfire.com/alt2/prisonersofwar/ AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS of WAR – World War 2<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> where he set up a camp library and gave lessons to other prisoners. He was promoted to [[sergeant]] due to these efforts, but the promotion was not recognised upon his release.<ref>Downer, Alick (2012). ''The Downers of South Australia'', p. 123. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}}</ref>

His book ''Six prime ministers'' ([[Robert Menzies]], [[John Gorton]], [[Harold Holt]], [[Harold Wilson]], [[Edward Heath]], [[Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough]]) was published in 1982.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1854912 | title=Six prime ministers | publisher=Hill of Content | author=Downer, Alexander | year=1982 | location=Melbourne | pages=324 | isbn=0855721294}}</ref>