Edward West Harding
Colonel Edward West Harding, R.M.A. (29 December, 1877 – 15 August, 1934) was an officer of the Royal Marine Artillery and an authority on angling. He would play an important role in the Admiralty's evaluation of the evolving Fire Control technologies of the period 1901-1908.
Early Life & Career
In 1901 and 1902, Harding wrote articles for the United Services Magazine and the journal Engineering on Fire Control. He was of the opinion that the superior ballistics of 12-in guns made them a better basis for long-range hitting than the 6-in quick-firer.[1]
By 1905, he was advising Jellicoe on rangefinders and was touting Arthur Pollen's fire control devices.[2] He would become, in effect at the very least, an employee of Pollen, writing passionate missives in 1906 to argue the value of the Aim Correction System, and arguing the basis of Pollen's pricing for obtaining exclusive use of his technology.[3]
Bibliography
- "Colonel Harding" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 16 August, 1934. Issue 46834, col 12, p. B.
- "Colonel E. W. Harding" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 20 August, 1934. Issue 46837, col 12, p. C.
- Sumida, Jon Tetsuro (1989). In Defence of Naval Supremacy: Finance, Technology and British Naval Policy, 1889-1914. Winchester, Mass.: Unwin Hyman, Inc.. ISBN 0044451040. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
Service Record
- The National Archives. ADM 196/62.
Footnotes
