William Stroud
- 1888 Archibald Barr and William Stroud began their association. Stroud was professor of physics at the Yorkshire College (now the University of Leeds).
- In that year, they responded to an advertisement in the magazine Engineering, to design a short-base rangefinder for infantry use. Although the resulting design was not successful at the time, the Admiralty approached them in 1891 and invited them to submit a further design for trial.
William Stroud and Archibald Barr were the founders of Barr and Stroud