Field Marshal Allan Francis Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton,, known as John Harding, was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First World War and the Second World War, served in the Malayan Emergency, and later advised the British government on the response to the Mau Mau Uprising. He also served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, and was Governor of Cyprus from 1955 to 1957 during the Cyprus Emergency. His administration of Cyprus was controversial for its authoritarian treatment of suspected insurgents and civilians.
General Sir Harold Alexander (right), with Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese and Lieutenant General Sir John Harding, inspect one of the German Panther tank turrets which formed part of the Gothic Line defences, September 1944.
British troops responding to the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950s.
Harding's statue in Taunton, Somerset.
Southern Command was a Command of the British Army.
Government House, Grand Parade, Portsmouth, command headquarters from 1793 to 1826
Government House, High Street, Portsmouth, command headquarters from 1826 to 1882
Government House, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth, command headquarters from 1882 to 1901
Tidworth Camp, command headquarters from 1901 to 1949