Edward Terrell
|
Edward Terrell OBE |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1902 |
| Died | 13 November 1979 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of London |
| Occupation | Barrister, magistrate, inventor |
| Political party | Liberal Party (UK) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Edward Terrell OBE (1902–1979) was a British 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 (RNVR) and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Special Branch of the Volunteer Reserve to run an information section.
He was the son of Thomas Terrell KC, who was a Liberal Member of Parliament. He graduated at London University 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.
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