Edward Terrell OBE (1902–1979) was a British Liberal politician, a successful barrister and magistrate[1] with a flair for invention; by 1940 he had registered a number of patents relating to pens, ink bottles and peeling knives.

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.

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.

[4][note 1] When asked for films of German aircraft attacking merchant ships as propaganda 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.

[6] 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.

After investigating the captured U-boat U-570, they determined that if the hull was penetrated by 20 mm shells, the crew would be unable to stop the flooding.

[9] 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.