Harold Barrowclough

Harold Barrowclough as Chief Justice (1954)

Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough , KCMG , CB , DSO & Bar , MC , ED, PC (born June 23, 1894 in Masterton , New Zealand , † March 4, 1972 in Auckland ) was a New Zealand major general and lawyer who commanded various associations during the Second World War the New Zealand Army and between 1953 and 1966 President of the Supreme Court ( Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ) .

Life

Studies and World War I

Barrowclough, son of the civil engineer and later teacher Alfred Ernest Barrowclough and his wife Hannah Sibthorpe Gault, completed his school education between 1907 and 1912 at Palmerston North Boys' High School , where he was part of the debating club and rugby team. Because of his academic achievements, he received a scholarship with the help of which he began in 1913 to study law at the University of Otago . During his studies he lived at Knox College and also joined the Territorial Force . In January 1915 he joined during the First World War the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at (NZEF) and was established in May 1915 as a lieutenant (Second Lieutenant) to New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) added, the so-called "The Dinks". In October 1915 he became a lieutenant (First Lieutenant) transported and intended for use overseas. Due to his outstanding achievements he was in March 1916 Hauptmann (Captain) transported and July 1916 Company commander . Due to his services during the Battle of the Somme near Flers on September 30, 1916, he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) and the French Croix de guerre .

After Barrowclough had recovered from a sustained use in June 1917, he was awarded the temporary rank of major (Temporary Major) and he was then deputy commander of the reserve battalion of the Rifle Brigade. In August 1918 he received the temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel) and took over the post as commander of the 4th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. Because of his bravery and excellent managerial qualities during a deployment in September 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). For further services in the reconquest of Le Quesnoy on November 4, 1918, he and his unit were also mentioned in the war report ( Mentioned in dispatches ) . After the end of the war he completed the NZEF training program in France and Germany before returning to New Zealand and retiring from active military service on July 29, 1919.

Lawyer, promotion to major general, and World War II

Barrowclough then continued his studies at the University of Otago, graduating in 1921 with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). After graduating, he settled as a lawyer in Dunedin and also taught part-time as a lecturer in law at the University of Otago. He was also an officer in the Territorial Forces and between July 1924 and June 1929 commander of the Otago Infantry Regiment . After his promotion to Colonel (Colonel) in August 1930, he was commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade (3rd New Zealand Infantry Brigade) . However, he resigned this post in mid-1931 after becoming a partner in the Auckland- based law firm Russell, McVeagh, Bagnall and Macky , where he was soon a recognized member of the bar . During this time he was one of the leaders of the National Defense League of New Zealand in 1936 , which campaigned to expand New Zealand's defense readiness. In addition, he belonged to a group of four former colonels of the Territorial Forces, who in 1938 strongly criticized the government's defense policy.

During the Second World War Barrowclough was promoted to commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade (6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade) in February 1940 and on May 1, 1940 to brigadier general (Brigadier) . At the same time he was sent to Europe , where he initially commanded an improvised brigade for a short time, before taking back command of the 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade, which had meanwhile been moved to Greece , in October 1940 . During the ultimately unsuccessful Balkan campaign in 1941 , the so-called "Enterprise Marita", he was awarded the War Cross of Greece on April 10, 1942 and was mentioned again in the war report. In the following years he took part in the winter battle known as Operation Crusader in Africa from November 1941 and was awarded a clasp to the DSO for his services to Sidi Rezegh .

Major General Barrowclough (right) with Lieutenant General Oscar Griswold , Commanding General of the XVI. US Corps (1944)

In the spring of 1942, Barrowclough was nominated on the recommendation of General Bernard Freyberg to commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in the Pacific with headquarters in Fiji , but could not take this position due to illness. Instead, after his recovery, he became commander of the 1st Infantry Division (1st New Zealand Infantry Division) , which was the so-called Northern Division responsible for the defense of the northern part of the North Island . After Major General Owen Mead was killed on July 25, 1942, he actually became the commander of the NZEF in the Pacific region in Fiji, consisting of the 3rd New Zealand Infantry Division . This division took part in three successful operations between September 1943 and February 1944, namely the liberation of the island of Vella Lavella from the Imperial Japanese Army (September to October 1943), the conquest of the Treasury Islands (October to November 1943) and the Conquest of the Green Islands (January to February 1944). In the longest-running battle for the Green Islands, he commanded a unit of 16,500 soldiers, two-thirds of whom were members of the US Army , and thereby expanded his recognition by the United States as the commander of a large allied unit in extensive operations. Subsequently, his association was initially reduced in size in the spring of 1944 and finally dissolved in October 1944. Afterwards he was intended for various uses, but did not take part and was finally seconded to the reserve in November 1945. For his many years of service, he became Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) and also commander of the US Legion of Merit .

Chief Justice

After the war, Barrowclough resumed his practice as a lawyer. In 1953 he was chairman of a committee to investigate the reform of New Zealand hospitals, before he was on November 17, 1953 as the successor to Humphrey O'Leary President of the Supreme Court ( Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ) . In 1954 he was made Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) and from then on carried the suffix "Sir". In addition, he became a member of the Privy Council (PC) in 1954 and an honorary doctorate in law (Honorary LLD) from the University of Otago. As Chief Justice, he was very keen for the establishment of a standing Appellate Court ( Court of Appeal ) to which it came after lengthy negotiations 1957th In January 1966 he resigned as Chief Justice and was replaced on January 18, 1966 by Richard Wild .

Barrowclough was married to Mary Ogilvy Duthie from January 6, 1921 until her death in 1964. This marriage resulted in two sons and a daughter.

Web links

• Entry in Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
• Entry on the Generals.dk homepage

Individual evidence

1. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 30111, HMSO, London, June 1, 1917, p. 5486 ( PDF , accessed May 29, 2017, English).
2. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 30184, HMSO, London, July 13, 1917, p. 7095 ( PDF , accessed May 29, 2017, English).
3. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 31158, HMSO, London, January 31, 1919, p. 1616 ( PDF , accessed May 29, 2017, English).
4. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 35519, HMSO, London, April 7, 1942, p. 1595 ( PDF , accessed May 23, 2017, English).
5. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 35465, HMSO, London, February 20, 1942, p. 893 ( PDF , accessed May 23, 2017, English).
6. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 37909, HMSO, London, March 18, 1947, p. 1316 ( PDF , accessed May 29, 2017, English).
7. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 40055, HMSO, London, December 29, 1953, p. 43 ( PDF , accessed May 23, 2017, English).