He wrote extensively on his wartime experiences, but is perhaps best remembered for his book Digger Dialects, a survey of the argot of Australian soldiers serving in Europe during the First World War.
[1] Downing was educated at local state schools and Scotch College, then the University of Melbourne, where he studied Law, interrupting his career in 1915 to enlist in the First Australian Imperial Force.
He served in the 57th (Victorian) battalion in France and Belgium and was awarded the Military Medal in recognition of his conduct and leadership.
[3][a] He returned to Australia in 1919 by the Balmoral Castle, and resumed his university studies, living at Queen's College, completing the course in 1920.
[5] The tropical climate did not agree with him however, and he was living at Clifton Hill when he applied to the Board of Examiners to practise as barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Victoria; he was admitted on 3 October 1921.