Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/12

Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring (1892–1982) was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War, lieutenant governor of Victoria, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. A Rhodes Scholar, Herring was at New College, Oxford when the First World War broke out and served with the Royal Field Artillery on the Macedonian front, for which he was awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order. After the war, he carved out a successful career as a barrister and King's Counsel. He also joined the Australian Army, rising to the rank of colonel by 1939. During the Second World War, he commanded the 6th Division Artillery in the Western Desert Campaign and the Battle of Greece. In 1942, as a corps commander, he commanded the land forces in the Kokoda Track campaign. The following year, he directed operations at Lae and Nadzab. Herring left his corps to become the longest serving Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, serving for three decades. In the latter capacity, he was patron of many charitable organisations. (more...)