Henry Harwood

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Sir Henry Harwood Harwood, KCB, OBE (January 19, 1888 – June 9, 1950), was a British naval officer who won fame in the Battle of the River Plate.

[edit] Family

Henry Harwood was born in 1888, the son of Surtees Harwood of Ashmans Hall in Suffolk. Harwood married Joan Chard, daughter of Selway Chard, in 1924. They had two sons, Cyprian and Stephen.

Harwood Guest House near Stansted in Essex was named after Captain Harwood. Commissioned by Countess Daisy of Warwick, Harwood House, now a B&B, was built during the 1930s. She gave the house, originally built for the Essex County Farmers, Harwood's name in honour of their close personal relationship.

[edit] Early life

Harwood entered the Royal Navy in 1903 and specialized in torpedoes. In 1919 he served on the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign, 1st Battle Squadron. By 1929 he had been promoted to captain and become the Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMS Warwick and Senior Officer of the 9th Destroyer Division.

In 1931 and 1932, Harwood followed the Imperial Defence Course. Upon completion of the course in March 1932 he became Flag Captain of the heavy cruiser HMS London whilst at the same time serving as Chief Staff Officer to the Rear-Admiral Commanding the 1st Cruiser Squadron. From July 1934 until 1936 Harwood served on the staff of the Royal Naval War College at Greenwich (HMS President).

In September 1936 Harwood was promoted to the temporary rank of Commodore and given command of the South American Division of the America and West Indies Station whilst at the same time serving as Commanding Officer of the cruiser HMS Exeter. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Harwood was made Commodore and command of HMS Exeter passed to Captain Bell.

[edit] Second World War

Harwood is greeted by the British Minister to Uruguay, Mr E Millington-Drake after his arrival at Montevideo after the Battle of the River Plate

Harwood commanded the squadron consisting of the heavy cruisers HMS Cumberland and HMS Exeter, and the light cruisers HMS Achilles and HMS Ajax, which flew his flag in the action against the Admiral Graf Spee at the River Plate.

Unable to divide his force, Harwood suspected that the raiding Admiral Graf Spee would try to strike next at the merchant shipping off the River Plate estuary between Uruguay and Argentina. With HMS Cumberland being absent for repairs at the Falklands, the three other cruisers were gathered off the estuary on 12 December and conducted manoeuvres. In the ensuing battle, HMS Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire, while all other ships received moderate damage. HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles then shadowed the Graf Spee which entered the neutral Uruguayan capital Montevideo. After a tense period, the captain of the Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff, scuttled his ship rather than face the overwhelmingly superior British force which he believed had been assembled. For this action, known as the Battle of the River Plate, Harwood was promoted to Rear-Admiral and knighted.

From December 1940 to April 1942, Rear-Admiral Harwood served as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign) (HMS President). In April 1942, Harwood was promoted to Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Station, flying his flag on HMS Nile. This station was renamed Levant in 1943, during which year he engaged in flank support and seaborne supply of the British Eighth Army.

In April 1945, Sir Henry Harwood became Flag Officer Commanding the Orkneys and Shetlands (HMS Prosperine) until he retired from the service on August 15, 1945 with the rank of Admiral, having been declared medically unfit for further duty.

Sir Henry Harwood died in Goring-on-Thames in 1950

[edit] Ranks

In the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, Harwood was played by Anthony Quayle.

[edit] Decorations