Sir Geoffrey Hugh Benbow Streatfeild, MC (28 July 1897 – 7 October 1979) was a British barrister and High Court judge in the Queen's Bench Division from 1947 until 1966.

Biography

The younger son of Major H. S. Streatfeild, of Ryhope,

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, and Barlay, Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbrightshire, Geoffrey Streatfeild was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

. Joining up directly from school at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, he served with the 4th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, before transferring to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

, and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. He was wounded in action and received the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. Leaving military service in 1919 with the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, Streatfeild was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1921, practiced on the North-Eastern Circuit, and became a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1938. He was

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

from 1932 to 1934, of

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

from 1934 to 1943, and of Kingston-upon-Hull from 1943 to 1947. He was Solicitor-General of County Durham from 1939 to 1941 and Attorney-General of County Durham from 1941 to 1947. He was elected a Bencher of the Inner Temple in 1945. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was Deputy Judge Advocate (with the rank of Major) from 1940 and Assistant Judge Advocate-General (with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel) from 1942 to 1943. He was appointed a

Commissioner of Assize The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

for the Western Circuit in 1946. Streatfeild was appointed a Justice of the High Court in 1947 and received the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. He was assigned to the King's Bench (later the Queen's Bench) Division, where he sat until his retirement from judicial service in 1966. He was chairman of the Interdepartmental Committee on the Business of the Criminal Courts (the Streatfield Committee) from 1958 to 1960. He was also Deputy Chairman of the Somerset Quarter Sessions. In 1957, he received an honorary DCL from

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. In 1918, he married Marjorie, younger daughter of late Charles Booth,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

; they had three daughters.

References

* "Sir Geoffrey Streatfeild", ''The Times'', 9 October 1979, p. 16. * ''Who Was Who'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Streatfeild, Geoffrey 1897 births 1979 deaths Knights Bachelor People educated at Rugby School Durham Light Infantry officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Recipients of the Military Cross Members of the Inner Temple English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel British Army personnel of World War II Queen's Bench Division judges