John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton
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| John Harding | |
|---|---|
| 10 February 1896 - 20 January 1989 | |
 Field Marshal Lord Harding |
|
| Place of birth | South Petherton, Somerset |
| Place of death | Nether Compton, Dorset |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1955 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | 7th Armoured Division VIII Corps XIII Corps British Forces in the Mediterranean |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | GCB, CBE, DSO, MC |
Field Marshal Allan Francis John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton, GCB, CBE, DSO, MC (10 February 1896 - 20 January 1989) was a British Army officer and governor of Cyprus from 1955 to 1957.
Contents |
[edit] Army career
Educated at Ilminster Grammar School, Harding joined the Territorial Army in 1914. During the First World War was called to the regular armed forces as a lieutenant in the Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) and assigned to the Middle East theatre of operations.[1]
During the Second World War, Harding saw action in North Africa and Italy in command of 7th Armoured Division, VIII Corps and XIII Corps.[2]
In 1946 he succeeding General Alexander as commander of British forces in the Mediterranean; in 1948 he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Far East Land Forces and in 1951 he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine.[3]
From 1952 to 1955 he was Chief of the Imperial General Staff. He became a Field Marshal in 1953.[3]
[edit] Cyprus
On 3 October 1955, was assigned military governor of Cyprus. As governor of Cyprus, Harding sought to defeat EOKA claiming on his arrival that the organisation's days are numbered. To this end, he instituted a number of measures including curfews, closures of schools, the opening of concentration camps and the imposition of the death penalty for offences such as carrying weapons, incendiary devices or any material that could be used in a bomb. A number of such executions took place often in controversial circumstances (e.g. Michalis Karaolis) leading to resentment.[4]
Harding also attempted to use negotiations to end the Cyprus crisis, however, when his negotiations with Archbishop Makarios III fell through, Harding exiled Makarios. On 21 March 1956 EOKA made an assassination attempt on Harding's life which failed as the time bomb under his bed failed to go off.[5]
Sir John Harding resigned as Governor of Cyprus on 22 October 1957 and was replaced by Sir Hugh Foot.[6]
[edit] Retirement
On his return to England, Harding was made a peer. In retirement he became the first Chairman of the Horse Race Betting Levy Board.
[edit] References
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 170
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pgs 169 - 170
- ^ a b Heathcote, Anthony pg 170
- ^ Deepening Tragedy Time Magazine, 21 May 1956
- ^ The Field Marshal's Pea Time Magazine, 2 April 1956
- ^ Time for a change Time Magazine, 4 November 1957
[edit] Further reading
- Heathcote, T.A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736-1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5
[edit] External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir William Slim |
Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1952–1955 |
Succeeded by Sir Gerald Templer |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Armitage |
Governor of Cyprus 1955–1957 |
Succeeded by Sir Hugh Foot |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Harding of Petherton 1958–1989 |
Succeeded by John Charles Harding |
