Edmund Herring

Lieutenant-General The Honourable

Sir Edmund Herring
Portrait of Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Herring by William Dargie, which won the Archibald Prize in 1945
Born(1892-09-02)2 September 1892
Maryborough, Victoria Colony
Died5 January 1982(1982-01-05) (aged 89)
Camberwell, Victoria, Australia
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Australia
Service / branchBritish Army (1913–19)
Australian Army (1922–51)
Years of service1913–1919
1922–1951
RankLieutenant General
Service numberVX15
Commands
Battles / wars
Awards
Spouse(s)
(m. 1922; died 1981)
Other work

Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, ED, KC (2 September 1892 – 5 January 1982) was a senior 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, Herring 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 in the Salamaua-Lae campaign and Finisterre Range campaign. 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.