Edward Terrell
Encyclopedia
Edward Terrell OBE was a Liberal
politician, a successful barrister
and magistrate
with a flair for invention; by 1940 he had registered a number of patents relating to pens, ink bottles and peeling knives. When war came, he volunteered for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Special Branch of the Volunteer Reserve to run an information section.
Terrell died on 13 November 1979 at the age of 77.
He was the son of Thomas Terrell KC, who was a Liberal Member of Parliament.
and was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn
in 1924.
He first stood for Parliament at the 1929 General Election
, when he was Liberal
candidate for Watford
. He came second, ahead of the Labour candidate. He did not contest the 1931 General Election but stood as Liberal candidate for Lambeth North
at the 1935 General Election
when he again finished second.
From 1935 he was Recorder of Newbury.
While still a civilian Terrell had outlined a scheme to the Admiralty suggesting that bases and units would need an attached lawyer to deal with the many personal legal problems that would arise with mass call-ups, and at the same time had applied to the commissioning board of the RNVR. Shortly afterwards he was approached by Charles F. Goodeve
, on the staff of Sir James Sommerville
, to run an information section. His selection was based on his scientific background and to some extent that his father (a KC
) had practised in patent law. As a result he joined the RNVR as a Lieutenant.
He was now part of what Terrell described as "private army" for Goodeve to develop naval weapons. It was nominally the staff of the "Inspector of Anti-Aircraft Weapons and Devices" but with Sommerville's departure to the Mediterranean fleet this post would be vacant, and the group (consisting of Terrell, Goodeve, the aeronautical engineer Nevil Shute Norway, the scientist F D Richardson, and a regular naval officer Millar) would have been disbanded but Goodeve and Millar made an arrangement with the Trade Division which was responsible for protection of the merchant fleet.
As such Terrell was in charge of collecting information on the German methods of attacking the merchant ships.
He developed plastic armour
for which he received an award from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
.Although the Commission decided that Terrell was the "sole inventor", he passed a proportion of the award to Dr Glanville who had worked with him on it.
When asked for films of German aircraft attacking merchant ships as propanganda for American production of Oerlikon guns, Terrell proposed a more substantial story using genuine mariners which received immediate approval from Sir Bruce Fraser, Controller of the Navy. The resulting film, The Gun, included the Americam commentator Edward Morrow
. The film used some of Terrell’s collected footage of attacks on real ships.
Recognised for his ingenuity, energy and tact, Terrell was appointed to the staff of the First Sea Lord
as an assistant to Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne
. He was promoted with exceptional rapidity to the temporary rank of Commander.
Usborne's task was to develop weapons and techniques against U-boats and he and Terrell formed a team of two. Their first success was introducing a tactical table to train and practice anti-submarine tactics at Western Approaches Command
.
After investigating the captured U-boat U-570 they determined that if penetrated by 20mm shells, the crew would be unable to stop the flooding. As a result patrol craft were armed with Hispano 20 mm cannon.
At the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development
he helped with the development of a more powerful version of Hedgehog
anti-submarine weapon called Squid
. He developed techniques for reducing the conspicuous smoke given off by ships and he worked on a bunker busting rocket powered bomb, the Disney bomb
.
Terrell enjoyed a close relationship with Millis Jefferis
of MD1
and he once defended Jefferies in court when he had been found to be driving while uninsured. In 1947 he represented Robert Stuart Macrae
, also of MD1, at the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
who was being considered for his work on the Sticky bomb
and other inventions.
He returned to the legal profession after the war, taking silk
and became a recorder of the Crown Court
.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician, a successful barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
with a flair for invention; by 1940 he had registered a number of patents relating to pens, ink bottles and peeling knives. When war came, he volunteered for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Special Branch of the Volunteer Reserve to run an information section.
Terrell died on 13 November 1979 at the age of 77.
He was the son of Thomas Terrell KC, who was a Liberal Member of Parliament.
Life
Terrell graduated at London UniversityUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1924.
He first stood for Parliament at the 1929 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, when he was Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate for Watford
Watford (UK Parliament constituency)
Watford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. He came second, ahead of the Labour candidate. He did not contest the 1931 General Election but stood as Liberal candidate for Lambeth North
Lambeth North (UK Parliament constituency)
Lambeth North was a borough constituency centred on the Lambeth district of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :...
at the 1935 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
when he again finished second.
From 1935 he was Recorder of Newbury.
While still a civilian Terrell had outlined a scheme to the Admiralty suggesting that bases and units would need an attached lawyer to deal with the many personal legal problems that would arise with mass call-ups, and at the same time had applied to the commissioning board of the RNVR. Shortly afterwards he was approached by Charles F. Goodeve
Charles F. Goodeve
Sir Charles Frederick Goodeve, OBE, FRS, was a Canadian chemist and pioneer in operations research for the British. During World War II, he was instrumental in developing the "hedgehog" antisubmarine warfare weapon and the degaussing method for protecting ships from naval mines.- Biography...
, on the staff of Sir James Sommerville
James Sommerville
James Sommerville is the current principal hornist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic, in Hamilton, Canada. Before coming to Boston in 1998, Mr...
, to run an information section. His selection was based on his scientific background and to some extent that his father (a KC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
) had practised in patent law. As a result he joined the RNVR as a Lieutenant.
He was now part of what Terrell described as "private army" for Goodeve to develop naval weapons. It was nominally the staff of the "Inspector of Anti-Aircraft Weapons and Devices" but with Sommerville's departure to the Mediterranean fleet this post would be vacant, and the group (consisting of Terrell, Goodeve, the aeronautical engineer Nevil Shute Norway, the scientist F D Richardson, and a regular naval officer Millar) would have been disbanded but Goodeve and Millar made an arrangement with the Trade Division which was responsible for protection of the merchant fleet.
As such Terrell was in charge of collecting information on the German methods of attacking the merchant ships.
He developed plastic armour
Plastic Armour
Plastic armour was a type of vehicle armour originally developed for merchant ships by Edward Terrell of the British Admiralty in 1940...
for which he received an award from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
A Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors is a periodic Royal Commission of the United Kingdom used to hear patent disputes.On October 6, 1919 a Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors was convened to hear 11 claims for the invention of the tank....
.Although the Commission decided that Terrell was the "sole inventor", he passed a proportion of the award to Dr Glanville who had worked with him on it.
When asked for films of German aircraft attacking merchant ships as propanganda for American production of Oerlikon guns, Terrell proposed a more substantial story using genuine mariners which received immediate approval from Sir Bruce Fraser, Controller of the Navy. The resulting film, The Gun, included the Americam commentator Edward Morrow
Edward Morrow
Edward Sydney Morrow Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist in Namibia, England, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa.-Biography:...
. The film used some of Terrell’s collected footage of attacks on real ships.
Recognised for his ingenuity, energy and tact, Terrell was appointed to the staff of the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
as an assistant to Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne
Cecil Vivian Usborne
Vice-Admiral Cecil Vivian Usborne was a high ranking officer in the British Royal Navy. He served as the Director of Naval Intelligence and retired Vice-Admiral and later a Member of Parliament....
. He was promoted with exceptional rapidity to the temporary rank of Commander.
Usborne's task was to develop weapons and techniques against U-boats and he and Terrell formed a team of two. Their first success was introducing a tactical table to train and practice anti-submarine tactics at Western Approaches Command
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in the Western...
.
After investigating the captured U-boat U-570 they determined that if penetrated by 20mm shells, the crew would be unable to stop the flooding. As a result patrol craft were armed with Hispano 20 mm cannon.
At the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development
Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development
The Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development , known colloquially as the Wheezers and Dodgers, was a department of the Admiralty responsible for the development of various unconventional weapons during World War II...
he helped with the development of a more powerful version of Hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
anti-submarine weapon called Squid
Squid (weapon)
Squid was a British World War II ship-mounted anti-submarine weapon. It consisted of a three-barrelled mortar which launched depth charges. It replaced the Hedgehog system, and was in turn replaced by the Limbo system....
. He developed techniques for reducing the conspicuous smoke given off by ships and he worked on a bunker busting rocket powered bomb, the Disney bomb
Disney bomb
The Disney Bomb, also known as the Disney Swish, was a rocket-assisted bunker buster bomb developed during the Second World War by the British Royal Navy to penetrate hardened concrete targets, such as submarine pens, that could resist conventional free-fall bombs...
.
Terrell enjoyed a close relationship with Millis Jefferis
Millis Jefferis
Major-General Sir Millis Rowland Jefferis KBE MC was, during the Second World War, the founder of a special unit of the British Ministry of Supply which developed unusual weapons.-Early career:...
of MD1
MD1
Ministry of Defence 1 , also known as "Churchill's Toyshop" was a British weapon research and development organisation of the Second World War....
and he once defended Jefferies in court when he had been found to be driving while uninsured. In 1947 he represented Robert Stuart Macrae
Stuart Macrae (inventor)
Colonel Robert Stuart Macrae TD was an inventor best known for his work at MD1 during the Second World War, his best known invention being the sticky bomb.Macrae was the author of Winston Chuchill's Toyshop...
, also of MD1, at the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
A Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors is a periodic Royal Commission of the United Kingdom used to hear patent disputes.On October 6, 1919 a Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors was convened to hear 11 claims for the invention of the tank....
who was being considered for his work on the Sticky bomb
Sticky bomb
The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74, commonly known as the sticky bomb, was a British hand grenade designed and produced during the Second World War. The grenade was one of a number of anti-tank weapons developed for use by the British Army and Home Guard as an ad hoc solution to a lack of...
and other inventions.
He returned to the legal profession after the war, taking silk
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and became a recorder of the Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
.