Major General Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough KCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, ED, PC (23 June 1894 – 4 March 1972) was a New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice from 1953 to 1966.

In 1915, partway through his law degree, he volunteered for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and fought on the Western Front.

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.

[1] 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.

[3] 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.

In September 1916, he won a Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Somme[1][4] when he led a party in an attack on a German strong point and linked up with the neighbouring British 47th Division.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

[12] He received a bar to his DSO for his leadership during the Crusader offensive,[13] having already been awarded the Greek War Cross[14] and a mention in despatches for his work in Greece.

[1][15] 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.

[16] He immediately overhauled its structure and removed many officers who he considered too old for frontline duty, replacing them with personnel who had experience with the 2NZEF in Greece, Crete or North Africa.

[21] Barrowclough was unhappy at this decision and his relationship with Army headquarters in Wellington and its Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Edward Puttick, became strained.

Being the only unit in the South Pacific Area outside of the American supply chain also caused logistical problems as the division used British equipment.

With the Japanese no longer a meaningful concern to the country, New Zealand's increasing shortage of manpower resulted in the disbandment of the 3rd Division.

[28] His service in the Pacific theatre of operations was rewarded with several decorations, which included the United States Legion of Merit[30][31] and appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath.

In 1953, he moved to Wellington to take up an appointment as Chief Justice of New Zealand,[1] and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.