Weston Arthur Bate (24 September 1924 – 31 October 2017) was an Australian historian. Bate served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. He studied at the University of Melbourne under Manning Clark, Max Crawford, Kathleen Fitzpatrick and John O'Brien. He taught at Brighton Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar School, Bradfield College (Berkshire), and (from 1952 to 1976) at the University of Melbourne. From 1978 until 1989 Bate held the foundation chair of Australian Studies at Deakin University, Geelong. Bate was President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. He died in October 2017 at the age of 93.

Early life

Weston Arthur Bate was born on 24 September 1924 in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, to Ernest Bate (18831974) and Mary "Molly" Olive Akers. His mother was from California, while his father was born in Lancashire and served as Chief Electrical Engineer of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria from 1936 to 1950.