Edmund Herring
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Edmund Francis Herring | |
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2 September 1892 – 5 January 1982 | |
Portrait of Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Herring by William Dargie which won the Archibald Prize in 1945. |
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Nickname | Ned |
Place of birth | Maryborough, Victoria |
Place of death | Camberwell, Victoria |
Allegiance | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1922-1951 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands | Australian 6th Division Northern Territory Force New Guinea Force II Corps I Corps |
Battles/wars | World War I: Macedonian front World War II: Western Desert Campaign Battle of Greece Kokoda Track campaign Salamaua-Lae campaign Finisterre Range campaign |
Awards | KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, Distinguished Service Cross (United States) |
Other work | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Lieutenant governor of Victoria |
Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, ED (2 September 1892 – 5 January 1982) was an Australian Army officer during World War II, was a Lieutenant governor of Victoria, and was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Contents |
[edit] Education and Early Life
Edmund Francis Herring, known as Ned to his family, was born in Maryborough, Victoria on 2 September 1892, the third of five children of Edmund Selwyn Herring, a solicitor, and his Irish-born wife Gertrude Stella Herring, formerly Fetherstonhaugh. He was educated at Maryborough College and High School and at Melbourne Grammar, where he excelled at tennis and cricket, and was both School Captain and Dux in 1910. While at Melbourne Grammar, he served in the Australian Army Cadets, reaching the rank of sergeant.[1]
In 1911, Herring entered Trinity College, the Church of England residential college at the University of Melbourne, where he played cricket and tennis. In 1912, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford in England. There, he joined the Officers Training Corps in 1913. In November of that year he enlisted as a trooper in King Edward's Horse.[2]
[edit] Great War
King Edward's Horse was mobilised in August 1914, but was not immediately sent overseas. In December 1914, Herring was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery, and was posted to the 99th Field Artillery Brigade of the British 22nd Division.[3] The division moved to the Western Front in August 1915, but was there only a month before being transferred to the Macedonian front, where it served for the rest of the war. In May 1917 Herring was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" under heavy shellfire while serving as a forward observer,[4] and was promoted to captain.
After three years' service, Herring was granted three weeks' leave in Australia in October 1917. He returned to Maryborough, where he met Mary Ranken Lyle, then a medical student at the University of Melbourne. In February he embarked for Salonika, returning to duty there in March 1918, and was promoted to major on 24 October 1918.[5] For his service as a battery commander, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[6]
[edit] Between the Wars
With the war over, Herring returned to University of Oxford in October 1919. The university had awarded him a wartime Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1915, and the Rhodes Scholarship Trust allowed him to resume his scholarship, and he studied for a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree. Since it had been five years since he had been awarded his BA, he was entitled to a MA as well, and graduated with both degrees in July 1920. After a holiday in Britain and France with his sister Kathleen, he arrived back in Melbourne on 26 November 1920.[7]
Herring was admitted to practice in Victoria as a barrister and solicitor on 1 March 1921 and signed the roll of counsel of the Victorian Bar on 8 June of that year, while Mary graduated with her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB BS) and became a resident surgeon at Royal Melbourne Hospital. The two were married on 6 April 1922, and had three daughters, Mary Cecile (Molly), born in 1924, Judith Ann (Judy), born in 1926, and Margaret Lyle, born in 1933. Herring worked as a barrister, and lectured in law at University of Melbourne. He became a King's Counsel on 25 February 1936. Mary worked as a physician at ante natal clinics.[8]
Herring joined the Australian Army on 1 October 1922 as a legal staff officer in the part time Militia, with the rank of captain. On 1 August 1923 he transferred to Australian Field Artillery. He was promoted to major on 1 July 1925, lieutenant colonel on 1 July 1929, and temporary colonel on 1 August 1939, commanding the 3rd Division Artillery.[9]
Herring was involved in politics throughout the 1930s. He was elected to the Melbourne Club in 1927, a year before Sir Thomas Lyle became its president. He joined the Young Nationalists, an organisation founded by Robert Menzies and Wilfred Kent Hughes.Along with many senior army and ex-army officers, he was also a member of the clandestine far-right wing paramilitary organisation known as the White Guard, White Army or League of National Security. The White Guard was reportedly a response to the rise of communism in Australia, its members ready to stop a Catholic or Communist revolution. After failing to gain United Australia Party preselection for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Prahran in 1931, he ran as an unendorsed candidate for the Legislative Assembly seat of Brighton in 1936. He gained 12,258 votes, losing by 528.[10]
[edit] World War II
On 6 October 1939, Herring was informed that Major General Sir Thomas Blamey had decided to appoint him as Commander, Royal Artillery, of the 6th Division, of the new Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) being raised for service overseas. A week later, Herring was promoted to substantive colonel and temporary brigadier, and given the AIF serial number VX15. His first task was to organise his new command, which was equipped with World War I vintage 18 pounder guns and 4.5 inch howitzers. Herring embarked for Palestine on 15 April 1940, along with the 6th Division's commander, Major General Iven Mackay and his headquarters. Training was difficult as the old ammunition was in short supply. Fortunately, his command was reequipped with the new 25 pounders before being committed to the Western Desert Campaign in December 1940.
At the Battle of Bardia, Herring controlled all 120 guns used in the division's attack, in which the infantry were supported by Great War style barrages. After the victory at Bardia, Herring's gunners supported the attack on Tobruk, and then the campaign in Greece, where his amply-supplied Australian, New Zealand and British gunners demonstrated the power of skillfully employed artillery, although they were unable to halt the enemy advance. Herring was ordered to evacuate from Greece in April 1941 but the ship he was to sail on ran aground. Herring and fellow Brigadier Clive Steele managed to get a lift to Crete on the Royal Navy transport HMS Glenearn. From there they flew back to Alexandria. For his service in Libya and Greece, Herring was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Herring was promoted to the temporary rank of Major General on 14 August 1941 when he took over command of the 6th Division. He returned to Australia with it in March 1942. Unaware that the government had already decided that Blamey should be appointed Commander in Chief, Herring, along with Major General George Vasey and Brigadier Clive Steele, approached Army Minister Frank Forde with a proposal that all officers over the age of 50 be immediately retired and Major General Horace Robertson appointed Commander in Chief. The 'revolt of the generals' collapsed with the announcement that General Blamey was returning from the Middle East to become Commander in Chief and seems to have done the participants no harm.
In Blamey's reorganisation of the Army in April 1942, Herring was given command of Northern Territory Force. At this time Darwin was being subjected to enemy air raids and this was a operational command. As supply by sea and air was impractical. Herring developed a land line of communications running across the Outback from Alice Springs.
On 14 August 1942, Herring was ordered to Esk, Queensland where assumed command of II Corps with the temporary rank of Lieutenant General. As such, he was responsible for the defence of Brisbane. At this time he was attacked in Parliament for allegedly issuing a verbal order while he was commander of the 6th Division that no one was to be commissioned as an officer without having attained at least an Intermediate Certificate (ie had graduated from Year 10). There was no evidence that such an order was ever issued, but the allegation reflected a suspicion that Herring was an elitist.
In the wake of his dismissal of Lieutenant General Sidney Rowell for insubordination, Blamey ordered Herring to join him in Port Moresby as the new commander of I Corps. Before departing, Herring met with General Douglas MacArthur, who emphasised that the first duty of a soldier was obedience to his superiors.
As at Darwin, Herring's primary difficulty was logistics. The troops on the Kokoda Track had to be supplied from Port Moresby either by air or by Papuan native carriers who lugged stores over the track on their backs. MacArthur created the Combined Operation Service Command (COSC), an unusual combined Australian-American logistical organisation, under Brigadier General Dwight Johns, who in turn was answerable to Herring. Herring backed a plan to take American engineers off working on the airstrips in order to develop the port by building a causeway to Tatana Island, the successful completion of which doubled the port's capacity and was the logistical turning point of the campaign.
More controversial was Herring's relief of Brigadier Arnold Potts and Blamey's of Major General Arthur Allen at Herring's urging. Herring acknowledged that the two men had faced a difficult task but felt that they were tired and that Brigadier Ivan Dougherty and Major General George Vasey could do better. Supporters of Allen saw this as the action of an elitist, Allen having left school at age 14.
In a letter to Herring in 1959, Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger (who had himself relieved a couple of division commanders) had this to say about the matter:
It is a funny thing about war historians. If a general dismisses a subordinate at any time he is immediately attacked; whereas in our football game, if you have a better player for a particular place, you always play him, and everybody expects you to do this. I have little doubt that the same is true of your ball game. War historians never seem to give generals credit for having thought that X might be better than Y for the next phase of operations.[11]
In November, Herring flew across the mountains to take control of the fighting around Buna, leaving Blamey to control operations elsewhere in New Guinea. Herring struggled to amass enough troops, equipment and supplies to allow Australian troops under Vasey and Americans under Eichelberger fought it out with the Japanese and capture the area.
Following the victory at Buna, for which Herring was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Blamey ordered him to return to Australia for a rest. While in Melbourne, Herring had an attack of Malaria, but recovered to resume command in New Guinea in May. Blamey charged him with responsibility for the first phase of the plan, the capture of Lae. He would command I Corps, which would be part of New Guinea Force, under Blamey and later Mackay. Blamey intended to have Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead command the second phase of the operation.
At this time operations were in train to drive the enemy back to Salamaua. Once again, the difficulties of supplying the attacking force were formidable. Out of sensitivity towards the sensibilities of the Americans, Herring left the command arrangements between Major General Stanley Savige's 3rd Division and units of the American 41st Infantry Division ambiguous. This backfired, producing acrimony between the Australian and American commanders. Herring prepared to fire Savige but an investigation by Major General Frank Berryman determined that it was not Savige's fault.
The new offensive, which opened on 5 September 1943 with the 7th Division's Landing at Nadzab by air and 9th Division's landing at Lae from the ships of Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey's VII Amphibious Force, saw the rapid capture of Lae.
Herring's next task was to exploit his victory. While the 7th Division moved up the Markham and Ramu Valleys, the 9th Division made another landing at Scarlet Beach near Finschhafen. The timing of the landing was contentious, with Barbey, who feared air attack, wanting to land at night while Herring held out for a dawn landing, threatening to take the issue to General MacArthur. Eventually Berryman managed to persuade Herring to accept a compromise H-hour in the darkness before dawn. The US Naval Historian Samuel Eliot Morison noted:
The Australians proved to be right; "Uncle Dan's" outfit was not prepared for a neat night landing. The usual SNAFU developed.[12]
However, Berryman saw Herring as being uncooperative, and his intransigence as a sign of battle weariness.
In the subsequent Battle of Finschhafen, it soon became clear that the strength of the Japanese forces there had been seriously underestimated, and the 9th Division needed to be resupplied and reinforced, and its casualties evacuated. Herring strove to get the necessary amphibious lift from the navy but the commander of the US Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Arthur S. Carpender was reluctant to expose his ships, in view of the Japanese air threat. The matter went up the chain of command to Mackay, to Blamey, and ultimately to Macarthur, who could do little, given that he had no real authority over the US Navy.
Fortunately, Carpender was not inflexible, and reached a compromise with Mackay to transport a battalion to Finschhafen in high speed transports (APDs). Herring was in Dobodura, lunching with Lieutenant General Brehon B. Somervell, when he heard this news. He decided to fly to Milne Bay to discuss the matter of resupply in general with Admiral Daniel E. Barbey. On 28 September, Herring, along with his BGS, Brigadier R. B. Sutherland, and his DA&QMG, Brigadier R. Bierwirth, boarded a US Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchell bomber at Dobodura. As the plane was about to take off, the undercarriage collapsed and the plane ploughed into the Marston Mat runway. A propeller shattered, splinters ripped through the fuselage into the cabin and Sutherland, who was sitting in the navigator’s compartment next to Herring, was struck by a flying fragment, killing him instantly. The crew, Herring and Bierwirth escaped shaken but unscathed. The trip to Milne Bay was cancelled. Brigadier Sutherland was buried will full military honours at Soputa the next day, with a fly past by B-25 Mitchell bombers. When next he flew, Herring once again took a Mitchell bomber and made a point of requesting the major who had been in charge of the crashed plane to be his pilot.
However, Mackay was convinced that Herring was becoming increasingly difficult to work with and asked Blamey for permission to relieve him. Blamey's response was characteristic: Morshead would be on the next plane.
Blamey retained faith in Herring, who retained command of I Corps on the Atherton Tableland. Herring trained his men for the next operation. He created the 1st Beach Group and developed tactics and doctrine for amphibious operations based on his experience in the New Guinea Campaign and reports from the Allied invasion of Sicily.
However, as it turned out, Herring had fought his last battle. On 2 February 1944, the Victorian government decided to appoint him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Blamey advised that Prime Minister that:
General Herring is prepared to accept the appointment and I recommend he be released from the Army. He has had two serious attacks of Malaria. I am afraid that in view of his age, further tropical service may seriously injure his health and that the command may suffer as a result. He has rendered excellent service over four years, mainly on active service in the field.[13]
[edit] Later Life
Herring's 20 years as Chief Justice was a period of significant change and growth in the administration of the law. During his period of office, the number of judges on the Court increased from 6 to 14, reflecting a large growth in business. Herring earned a reputation as a fine judge, and an able administrator. He set up the Chief Justice's Law Reform Committee to try to ensure justice in Victoria's courts was abreast of the times, and a committee for religious observances and services to mark the opening of the legal year. Sir Edmund retired as Chief Justice in 1964 but stayed on as Lieutenant Governor until 1972, his 80th birthday, serving in the position for a record 27 years.
Herring was recalled to duty for a year as Director General of Recruiting in August 1950. The Korean War spurred efforts to build up the Army again.
In January 1953, Herring was selected as leader of the Australian Services Contingent for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This saw Australian soldiers as the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace on 26 May 1953, and Herring taking part in the procession. On 10 July, Herring was made a Knight of the Order of St John at Buckingham Palace, while Mary was made a commander of the same order for her charity work.
On the way back, the Herrings stayed with the Eichelbergers in Asheville, North Carolina. The two generals remained close friends, exchanging regular letters until the latter's death in 1961. In 1967 and 1971, the Herrings travelled to America where they were guests of Dwight Johns and his wife. In 1973, he visited Washington, DC for the annual reunion of MacArthur's staff, and he resolved that the next reunion should be held in Australia. He obtained government backing for his idea, and arranged for more than 20 American generals and their wives to visit Australia in 1974, with commemorative functions being held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Herring steadfastly believed that MacArthur, like Blamey, was a great commander, who was not fully appreciated in his own country.
Shortly before his retirement as Lieutenant Governor of Victoria in 1972, when opening the Victorian Returned Services League Conference Herring criticised anti-war protesters and praised Australian soldiers who had served in the Vietnam War. "People who throw stones at Americans," Herring said, "should stop and think where we would have been in 1942 without the Americans." Such remarks earned him a rebuke from the then acting State Opposition Leader, Mr Frank Wilkes, as "untactful" for a representative of the Crown. Herring again became the subject of controversy in 1978, when it was revealed that during World War II he had confirmed death sentences on Papuans convicted of handing over Anglican missionaries to the Japanese. He said that the men had been charged with offences including murder and treason, and were treated fairly under the conventions and circumstances applicable in wartime. "I have a clear conscience about it".[14]
Herring was president of the Boy Scouts' Association of Victoria for 23 years, and was later the first president of the Australian Boy Scouts' Association from 1959 to 1977. He was chairman of trustees of the Shrine of Remembrance from 1945 to 1978 and remained a trustee until his death, and chairman of trustees of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra from 1959 to 1974. He was made a fellow of New College, Oxford in 1949, received an honorary DCL from Oxford in 1953, made an honorary bencher of the Inner Temple in 1963 and received an honorary LLD from Monash University in 1973.
He was also active in the Church of England, and for many years was chancellor of the diocese of Melbourne, the highest church office that could be held by a layman.[14]
Sir Edmund died at Camberwell, Victoria nursing home on 5 January 1982. He was given a state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, planned by Mary, who had died three months before.[15]
Herring Island (Victoria) is named after him. His wartime portraits are in the Australian War Memorial, which featured him as one of Fifty Australians. His papers are in the State Library of Victoria.
[edit] References
- ^ Sayers, Stuart, Ned Herring: A Life of Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Edmund Herring KCMG, KBE, MC, ED. K st J, MA, DCL, ISBN 0908090250, pp. 1, 5, 9, 15-20
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 20-26, 35
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 39-41
- ^ [1] London Gazette 30204, 24 July 1917
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 58-59, 67
- ^ [2] London Gazette 31373, 30 May 1919
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 72-77
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 82-83, 87-88, 100, 106
- ^ AMF Army List of Officers, October 1950
- ^ Sayers, Ned Herring, pp. 91-96, 105
- ^ Letter, Eichelburger to Herring, 27 November 1959, Herring Papers, State Library of Victoria MSS11355
- ^ Samuel Eliot Morison, Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier ISBN 0785813071, p. 270
- ^ Blamey to Curtin, 2 February 1944, NAA (ACT) A2684/3 1392
- ^ a b Innes, Prue, "A full Life of Service in Khaki and Silk", The Age (Melbourne), 6 January 1982
- ^ Hilton, Della, Dr. Mary : the story of Dame Mary Herring ISBN 0731671368, p. 88
[edit] Further Reading
- Sayers, Stuart, Ned Herring: A Life of Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Edmund Herring KCMG, KBE, MC, ED. K st J, MA, DCL, ISBN 0 908090 25 0
- Innes, Prue, "A full Life of Service in Khaki and Silk", The Age (Melbourne), 6 January 1982.
- "The Honourable Sir Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, ED" [1982] Victorian Reports, pp ix-x.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Preceded by Frederick Mann |
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria 1944 – 1964 |
Succeeded by Henry Winneke |
Categories: 1892 births | 1982 deaths | Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George | Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Knights of St John | Companions of the Distinguished Service Order | Recipients of the Military Cross | Australian generals | Australian Rhodes scholars | Australian people of World War II | Australian judges | Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria