Hugh Fowler

Hugh Lionel Fowler arrived in WA from England aged five and was educated at state schools, the High School (now Hale) and the Teachers’ Training College at Claremont. In 1913 he was in the first cohort of students at the new University (BA 1916). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915 as a private in the 44th Battalion, was commissioned in May 1916 and in January 1918 promoted to captain; he was wounded twice. In 1931 he was the first local graduate to become a lecturer at the new Crawley location of UWA. He pioneered the Department of Psychology and in 1938 became an associate professor. He built a department with facilities and equipment for practical work ‘far in advance of most other Psychology departments in the British Commonwealth at that time’.

Soon after the outbreak of World War II Fowler enlisted in the Army but in 1941, while serving in Australia, he was discharged due to acute bronchitis and asthma. He re-enlisted in May 1942 to establish the Australian Army Psychology Service in Melbourne as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (Psychology) with the rank of temporary major and promoted to major in September.

Fowler was the elected Warden of Convocation on two occasions; 1934-35 and 1940-41.

Photograph from UWA Archives 62624P
ADB; O’Neil, W M and Walker, K F Psychology in the Universities Australian Journal of Psychology June 1958