Major General Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough (23 June 1894 – 4 March 1972) was a New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice from 1953 to 1966.
Born in Masterton, Barrowclough commenced legal studies in 1913 and joined the Territorial Force the same year. In 1915, partway through his law degree, he volunteered for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and fought on the Western Front. He finished the First World War in command of a battalion in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. After the war he finished his law studies and became a successful lawyer. He also resumed duty in the Territorial Force, serving until 1931 when he moved to Auckland to join a law firm based there.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War Barrowclough volunteered for service with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He commanded an infantry brigade in the 2nd New Zealand Division during the campaign in Greece and Operation Crusader. In 1942, he was recommended for divisional command by his superior officer, Major General Bernard Freyberg, and was given the 3rd Division, which he led through the Solomon Islands campaign. When the division was disbanded in late 1944, he was left without a command and was eventually discharged from the 2NZEF. He returned to the legal profession, and in 1953 was appointed Chief Justice of New Zealand. He established a permanent Court of Appeal for New Zealand and also served on the Privy Council for a time. He retired in 1966 and died in Auckland in 1972 at the age of 77.
Harold Eric Barrowclough was born at Masterton, New Zealand, on 23 June 1894, the son of a civil engineer, Alfred Barrowclough, and his wife. In later life, his father took up teaching. Educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School, he performed well both academically and in sports. He was prefect and won a university scholarship in 1912. The following year he began law studies at the University of Otago. He also joined the Territorial Force.
In the early stages of the First World War, Barrowclough volunteered for service in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF), enlisting as a private in January 1915. He showed leadership potential and within four months had been commissioned as a second lieutenant. He departed for overseas service in October 1915 having been promoted to lieutenant and posted to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. He saw brief service during the Senussi campaign in the Middle East with the 2nd Battalion of the brigade.
In 1916, with the Rifle Brigade now serving on the Western Front as part of the New Zealand Division, Barrowclough was regarded as an outstanding officer and in March was promoted to captain. Three months later he was appointed commander of a company in the battalion. In September 1916, he won a Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Somme when he led a party in an attack on a German strong point and linked up with the neighbouring British 47th Division. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre for the same action.
Wounded in the back in June 1917, he was invalided to England to convalesce. Upon recovery, he commanded reserve battalions at the NZEF bases in England. He returned to France in March 1918 as a temporary major and took up command of a company. By this stage of the war, he had been recommended for command of a battalion. In August 1918, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commander of 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. A month later, during the Hundred Days Offensive, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his leadership when dealing with a German counterattack near Havrincourt Wood. The citation for his DSO appeared in The London Gazette in January 1919 and reads as follows:
For conspicuous gallantry and able leadership near Havrincourt Wood from 8th to 13th September, 1918. He was in command of a battalion up against a strong position stoutly defended by the enemy. He gained good information from personal reconnaissances, during one of which the enemy counter-attacked. He rallied his men, and, leading them forward, drove back the enemy with bomb and bayonet.
In the capture of Le Quesnoy, the New Zealand Division's last action of the war, he led his battalion over the ramparts of Le Quesnoy. He was later mentioned in dispatches for his role in this engagement. While the New Zealand Division was on occupation duty in Germany, he coordinated an education programme for its soldiers until he returned to New Zealand and was discharged from the NZEF.
Resuming his legal studies at Otago, Barrowclough graduated with a law degree in 1921 and set up practice in Dunedin. He later lectured part-time in law. He rejoined the Territorial Force, and from 1924 to 1929 commanded the 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment. In 1930, he was promoted to colonel and given command of the 3rd Infantry Brigade. He resigned from the Territorial Force in 1931 when he accepted an offer of a partnership in the Auckland law firm Russell, McVeagh, Bagnall and Macky. He quickly developed a high profile in the Auckland law establishment.
By the mid-1930s, Barrowclough was disenchanted with the state of New Zealand's military forces, which was in decline due to a lack of resources and the discontinuation of compulsory military training. In 1936, he encouraged the reformation of the National Defence League of New Zealand (NDL), a defence lobby group which aimed to encourage and revitalise New Zealand's defence preparations for war. The country's defence arrangements were in a poor state of affairs at the time but the NDL gained little traction with the Labour Government.
Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Barrowclough volunteered his services for the New Zealand Military Forces and his offer was duly taken up when the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF), commanded by Major General Bernard Freyberg, was raised for service in the war. When the 2nd New Zealand Division was formed in 1940, he was promoted to brigadier and appointed commander of its 6th Infantry Brigade. Embarking from New Zealand in May 1940, he spent the next four months in England, commanding elements of the 2nd New Zealand Division which had been diverted there while en route to the Middle East, his own brigade continuing to Egypt as planned.
Barrowclough rejoined the 6th Infantry Brigade in October 1940 and, disappointed with its quality, put considerable emphasis on training. This meant that it generally performed well during the campaign in Greece in April 1941. After the conclusion of the fighting in Greece, he refused to join in the criticism directed by some senior officers of the 2nd New Zealand Division at Freyberg's leadership during the battle. He later fought in Operation Crusader, the campaign to lift the siege of Tobruk. At one point in the battle, his brigade captured elements of the headquarters of the Afrika Korps. However, he was impetuous in his efforts to capture Point 175, a strategically important hill to the south of Tobruk, and this led to heavy losses in one of the battalions of his brigade. Although Point 175 was seized, Barrowclough's brigade was only able to hold it for a few days before being forced to withdraw due to German attacks. He received a bar to his DSO for his leadership during the Crusader offensive, having already been awarded the Greek War Cross and a mention in despatches for his work in Greece.
In response to a request from the New Zealand government, Barrowclough was nominated by Freyberg for command of the Pacific Section of 2NZEF, which was based in Fiji. With the entry of Imperial Japan into the war, this was an important command as Fiji was the last line of defence for mainland New Zealand. Barrowclough embarked for New Zealand in early 1942 but during his transit, the commanding officer of the Pacific Section became seriously ill and was invalided home to be immediately replaced by Major General Owen Mead. On Barrowclough's arrival in New Zealand, he was disappointed to find that his expected command was no longer available. He was eventually posted as the commander of the Northern Division with the rank of major general. He was responsible for the defence of the upper North Island, and for the next few months oversaw the reorganisation and training of his new command.