Eric Fairweather Harrison

This article is about the Australian soldier and politician for Bendigo. For other people, see Eric Harrison (disambiguation).

Eric Harrison
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Bendigo
In office
19 December 1931 – 21 September 1937
Preceded byRichard Keane
Succeeded byGeorge Rankin
Personal details
Born(1880-04-16)16 April 1880
Stanmore, New South Wales
Died15 April 1948(1948-04-15) (aged 67)
Melbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Political partyUnited Australia Party
SpouseRoma Wingfiled Zilla Clark
ChildrenBrian Harrison
Alma materCambridge University
OccupationSoldier

Eric Fairweather Harrison (16 April 1880 – 15 April 1948) was an Australian soldier and politician.

Harrison was born the son of English-born James Start Harrison in the Sydney suburb of Stanmore, New South Wales and educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School and Bedford School in England. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge with a B.A. in 1901 and a M.A. in 1902.[1] He was part of a Trinity crew which won the Thames Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.

He returned to Australia in 1903 and joined the militia garrison artillery in New South Wales. In April 1904, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Artillery. In 1910, he was the first Australian to attend the Staff College at Quetta, now in Pakistan.[2]

Harrison was promoted to major in 1914 and at the commencement of World War I was the duty staff officer at Army Headquarters and gave the instruction to fire across the bows of the SS Pfalz, the first shots fired by the British Empire during the war.[3][4][5] He was subsequently appointed director of military training at army headquarters and from October 1915, director of military art at the Royal Military College, Duntroon (R.M.C.). In October 1917 he joined the First Australian Imperial Force as a major and served in France at Hazebrouck, Strazeele, Flêtre and on the Somme. In September 1918 he took part in the Battle of the Hindenburg Line. He was made brevet lieutenant-colonel in January 1919 and mentioned in dispatches in March.[2]

Harrison married Roma Wingfield Zilla Clarke in November 1920. He was appointed commandant of the R.M.C. in January 1929 and promoted colonel in July. He retired from the army in January 1931 and took up farming on the Mornington Peninsula.[2]

He won the seat of Bendigo for the United Australia Party in the 1931 election. He 1937 he failed to get party pre-selection for the new seat of Deakin.[2]

In August 1940, Harrison was recalled from the reserve and reappointed as commandant of the R.M.C. until his retirement in January 1942. He died in Melbourne, survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. His son, Brian was the member for Maldon in the British House of Commons from 1955 to 1974.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ "Harrison, Eric Fairweather (HRY898EF)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ^ a b c d e Coulthard-Clark, C. D. (1983). "Harrison, Eric Fairweather (1880 - 1948)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  3. ^ Wells, Samuel Garnet (1914), "Preparatory sketch of Australians firing at the German steamer Pfalz which attempted to get through the Melbourne heads on 4th (sic) August 1914", pencil drawing in the collection of the National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "German Vessel Stopped: Incident at Queenscliff: Guard of Marines placed on Board", The Brisbane Courier, (6 August 1914), p. 8.
  5. ^ "First shot in the War", The (Launceston) Examiner, (16 March 1940), p. 12.
Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon
1929–1931 		Succeeded by
Francis Bede Heritage
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Bendigo
1931–1937 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon
1940–1942 		Succeeded by