(1888 - 1950) British admiral, commanded a squadron consisting of the heavy cruisers HMS CUMBERLAND and HMS EXETER, and the light cruisers HMS ACHILLES and HMS AJAX, his flagship. He correctly anticipated the location of the pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE and successfully engaged her in the Battle of the River Plate on December 13, 1939. Important contemporary document (unsigned), not naming Harwood but undoubtedly prepared by him, 2pp. legal folio, [n.p., n.d., ca.1940], a brief self-typed account of the Battle of the River Plate. In small part: '...I knew a German Raider, probably a Pocket Battleship, was out and had been in the South Atlantic at the beginning of December. I thought she might next attack British trade on the South American Coast, and so I concentrated 3 Cruisers, Ajax, ACHILLES, and Exeter of the mouth of the Plate on December 12th...On the morning of the 13th, we were about 200 miles East of Punta del Esta. Smoke was sighted at 0610...[coming] from a Pocket Battleship. She came towards us and opened fire...All ships went on to full speed and went in to attack at once...Exeter on one flank and AJAX and ACHILLES on the other. Exeter was hit early, her bridge wrecked, and some of her guns were put out of action, but she went on closing the range, the Captain conning the ship from aft...We must have done the GRAF SPEE serious damage...she turned round under a smoke screen and made off...AJAX and ACHILLES closed in to 4 miles, frequently hitting GRAF SPEE, and fires were seen to break out...Both ships got slightly damaged, and AJAX had two turrets put out of action...GRAF SPEE made no attempt to close us...She did very accurate shooting, but got no hits...' The report also mentions the GRAF SPEE twice turning broadside to her attackers and unleashing salvoes which failed to find their marks before the battleship finally turned to make way for harbor. These pages are clearly not modern copies, and there is some fading, scattered foxing and edge wear commensurate with age. Only Harwood could have written this document, as only he held the position to order the vessels and observe the actions so reported.