Sir Erima Harvey Northcroft (2 December 1884 – 10 October 1953) was a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and military leader. His papers from the Tokyo War Crimes Trial are held by the University of Canterbury.

Biography

Northcroft was born in Hokitika, New Zealand. He attended Auckland University College and began his law practice in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. In 1912, Northcroft was a founding member of the Hamilton District Law Society and later became its president. During World War I, Northcroft was an artillery officer in the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1919 Birthday Honours (New Zealand), 1919 King's Birthday Honours. The same year he returned to New Zealand, resumed his law practice, and joined an Auckland law firm in 1923. From 1927 to 1933, Northcroft was a deputy judge advocate general in the New Zealand Army and from 1933 to 1935 was a Judge Advocate General (New Zealand), Judge Advocate General. He was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935. Also in 1935, Northcroft was appointed a judge of the High Court of New Zealand, Supreme Court of New Zealand at Christchurch, a superior trial court. In his court, he was styled "The Honourable Mr Justice Northcroft". After the Second World War, Northcroft was appointed as the New Zealand judge on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo. In recognition of this service, Northcroft was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1949 Birthday Honours (New Zealand), 1949 King's Birthday Honours. After returning from Japan, he resumed sitting as a Supreme Court judge, and occasionally sat as a judge of the New Zealand Court of Appeal. In 1953, Northcroft was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. Northcroft died in Christchurch on 10 October 1953. He had married Violet Constance Mitchell in Auckland in 1908, and the couple had two daughters. One of his daughters was town planner Nancy Northcroft. After his death his papers went to the Justice Erima Harvey Northcroft Tokyo War Crimes Trial Collection at the University of Canterbury, which was added to the Asia Pacific regional section of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northcroft, Erima 1884 births 1953 deaths Judges of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East 20th-century New Zealand judges New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order People from Auckland People from Hamilton, New Zealand People from Hokitika High Court of New Zealand judges Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges New Zealand judges of international courts and tribunals University of Auckland alumni