Eric Campbell (political activist)

Campbell returned to Sydney from World War I on board the SS Anchises in April 1919,[4] where he completed his legal studies, and became a solicitor on the 29th of August 1919.[5] He commenced work as a solicitor in partnership with S.G Rowe, where he stayed for six years, from 1920 to 1926.[5] Campbell, along with two of his brothers, founded and operated their own legal practice, named Campbell, Campbell and Campbell.[5] The practice operated out of Pitt Street in the Sydney central business district and had a variety of clients, including cattle farmers, businessmen as well as other professionals and financial institutions.[5] By 1931, Campbell was living and working in Turramurra as a well-known businessman and solicitor where he was on the board of directors for Australian Soap Ltd and Discount and Finance Ltd as well as working in corporate roles in other companies.[5]

Campbell married on the 22nd of October 1924 to Nancy Emma Browne at Memagong Station in Young,[2] New South Wales. With his wife, he had two sons and two daughters.[5]

Campbell had an active social life and was a member of a number of clubs, including the Imperial Service Club and the Union.[5] He was an avid golfer and was a member of Royal Sydney and Killara Golf, both of which were golf clubs at the time.[5] Campbell was a Freemason and a member of the Sydney Rotary Club and had passions in tennis, gardening, surfing and motoring.[5]

For his military service, Campbell was awarded a Distinguished Service Order in January 1919.[5]

Jack Lang, Premier of New South Wales during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was Campbell's political enemy and a major target for the New Guard.

In 1924, Campbell was the commander of the 9th Field Artillery Brigade and eventually became the lieutenant-colonel in 1925.[5] In the same year, Campbell, along with fellow army officer William John Scott recruited 500 ex-soldiers to suppress a strike involving some sailors.[5] This action became Campbell's first involvement within paramilitary measures within Australia.[5] This small group of soldiers later became an official group of vigilantes run by Sir Robert Gillespie and Sir Philip Goldfinch, of which Campbell was the head recruitment officer.[5] The group (later named the Old Guard) was made up of middle-class professionals but also included farmers, ex-soldiers and labourers, who were disillusioned with Jack Lang and his labour government and did not believe in the government's ability to assist with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929.[5]

Campbell was frustrated with the changes made to the Old Guard's principles and broke off, forming his own group on the 18th of February 1931, called the New Guard, aimed to be a revival of the Old Guard's original ideas.[5] Campbell wanted to stress loyalty to the British Empire and made patriotism one of his key ideas.[5] He also stated that he wanted “sane and honourable government” and the “abolishment of machine politics” and pursued the idea of bringing Australians together, regardless of their ideologies, political views and socio-economic status.[5] The fundamental ideology of Campbell's New Guard was written out in the Attestation Paper and was signed by all Guardsmen.[6] The final version, as written by Campbell, of these papers reads as follows:

The New Guard stands for:

1. Unswerving loyalty to the throne.

2. All for the British Empire.

3. Sane and honourable representative government throughout Australia.

4. Suppression of any disloyal and immoral elements in Governmental, industrial and social circles.

5. Abolition of machine politics.

6. Maintenance of the full liberty of the subject.

The objects of the New Guard are:

To unite all loyal citizens, irrespective of creed, party, social or financial position, subscribing to the above principals in one association.

— Phyllis Mitchell, Australian Patriots: A Study of the New Guard

Campbell became the commanding officer of the New Guard and under his leadership, the paramilitary group reached 60,000 members at its peak, which also included a small amount of women as part of an auxiliary group.[7] Most of the members were of middle-class socio-economic status and many worked within managerial positions in local businesses and others as business professionals.[7] Around 18% of the group were tradesmen, whose occupations included: labourers, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics.[7] Although Campbell claimed otherwise, the group was heavily opposed by the working class, except for members of the Railway Service Association, which was a right-leaning group.[8] In December 1931, the New South Wales police force estimated that 25% of the men who made up the Guard had previous military experience.[6]

The group was known for breaking up Communist meetings and having its members spread criticism about the New South Wales Labour Party.[5] Irish fascist Francis de Groot was a notable member of the group and is known for interrupting the formal opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[7]

In 1938, Campbell was charged with defrauding Du Menier Laboratories, but he was acquitted in 1939 after he reached an agreement with Judge Reginald Heath Innes requiring Campbell to pay a fine but allowed him to remain working as a lawyer.[5]

Campbell had moved to Billaboola in 1941 and was still a practising lawyer working in Young.[5] He still had an interest in politics as he was the president of the Burrangong Shire Council from 1949 to 1950.[5]

In 1957, Campbell bought a piece of land near Yass and moved there to live the same year.[5]

In 1966, Campbell had moved to Canberra and was working as a solicitor, but due to injuries he sustained from an accident, was unable to do so for long.[5] Campbell died of cancer in 1970 in Canberra.[5]