Eric Walter Harbord
Captain Eric Walter Harbord, D.S.O., R.N., Retired (14 March, 1879 – 18 March, 1952) served in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
Harbord was born in Anglet, France the son of the Honourable W. Harbord. He gained nine months' time on passing out of Britannia, earning a prize in French.[1]
Harbord was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 June, 1901.[2]
Harbord was caught copying examination answers while trying to pass for gunnery Lieutenant at Excellent in late May 1903. He was sent to Amphitrite on the China Station for two years.[3]
On 10 July, 1905, Harbord was ordered from Amphitrite to take up command of the destroyer Bruizer. This seems to have lasted less than a day, as he was appointed to Earnest the same day, where he remained for three months. This began a year-long series of brief destroyer commands. While in command of the Foam on night exercises near Malta, his ship patrolled with Ardent and took up pursuit of the "hostile" T.B. 84. As the T.B. manoeuvred desperately, Ardent struck her and nearly cut her in half. Though no lives were immediately lost, Harbord was blamed for not closing the scene and marking the site. For this lack of alacrity, he incurred Their Lordships' severe displeasure and was dismissed his ship.[4]
He was ordered to return to England on 21 July and arrived on the 25th.[5]
In March 1908 while serving in the battleship Africa, Harbord's wine bill was deemed excessive and he was subjected to quarterly reports. By January 1909, his satisfactory reports allowed the oversight to be lifted.
Harbord was appointed to the battleship Illustrious for the Annual Manoeuvres of 1909 in June and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 June, 1909. On 17 July, he was appointed to the battleship Triumph in the Mediterranean.[6]
From February 1911 to September 1912 Harbord served in Eclipse as first officer, and in Hecla and Amethyst as first and gunnery officer before he was appointed to the second class protected cruiser Charybdis as first and gunnery officer on 17 May 1912. After four months in this role, Harbord was made the ship's captain . On 19 August 1913, he left the ship to commence a fifteen month stint as first officer in the first class protected cruiser H.M.S. Royal Arthur, during which time the war broke out.
Harbord served as first officer in Patia upon the armed merchant cruiser being commissioned in November 1914. On 23 June 1915 he was appointed to command the torpedo gunboat Speedwell, being made an acting Commander on 3 July. On 16 July, Harbord rammed a German submarine. This was a welcome success in a career that had been marred at several points.[7]
Harbord was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1916.[8] He would command Speedwell until the end of the war except for two months in command of H.M.T. Island Prince and be awarded a D.S.O. for his work in minesweeping operations during the period 1 July 1916 to 31 March 1917.[9]
On 13 October, 1920, Harbord was appointed Local Fishery Naval Officer, Scotland, in command of the fishery protection trawler Exe.[10]
Harbord was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 22 June, 1922.
Harbord was promoted to the rank of Captain on the Retired List on 14 March, 1924.
World War II
On 6 June 1940, he was sent to Portsmouth to be staff minesweeping officer. He kept at this work for five years exactly, and reverted to the retired list on 7 June 1945.
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Dennis A. H. Larking |
Captain of H.M.S. Earnest 10 Jul, 1905[11] – 6 Oct, 1905[12] |
Succeeded by Percy W. Pontifex |
| Preceded by William H. H. S. Thomson |
Captain of H.M.S. Bruizer 6 Oct, 1905[13] – 22 Dec, 1905[14] |
Succeeded by Lionel G. Preston |
| Preceded by Lionel G. Preston |
Captain of H.M.S. Foam 22 Dec, 1905[15] – 4 Jun, 1906[16] |
Succeeded by Arthur K. Waistell |
| Preceded by Arthur K. Waistell |
Captain of H.M.S. Stag 1 Jun, 1906[17] – 21 Jul, 1906[18] |
Succeeded by Hubert H. de Burgh |
| Preceded by George B. Eldridge |
Captain of H.M.S. Charybdis 10 Sep, 1912[19] – 19 Aug, 1913[20] |
Succeeded by Claude W. B. Scobell |
| Preceded by Daniel McDowell |
Captain of H.M.S. Speedwell 23 Jun, 1915[21] – Nov, 1918 |
Succeeded by Robert C. Warden |
Footnotes
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 19.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 50.
- ↑ Johnstone Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 19645/103. f. ?.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 773.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ The Monthly Navy List. (December, 1905). p. 288.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45. f. ?. Date inferred from Preston's Service Record.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45. f. ?
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ Harbord Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/68. f. 68.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 398c.
