1868 Apr 5. He was born John Henry Gooding in Devonport, the only son of John Rowcliffe Gooding (1837–1908) and Elizabeth Ann Furzeland (1849–1875), although he would later have four half-siblings through his father's remarriage in 1877.
His father, a longtime employee of the Royal Navy, enlisted Hardy at the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, essentially a place of education for children of naval servicemen. The school recommended him to The Royal Observatory, Greenwich in 1883 and he worked under William Christie as a computer until his resignation and return to Devonport in 1884.
1885 Mar23 • St George, East Stone House, Plymouth, Devon . He married his first wife, Eliza Ann Willcocks (1865–1954) and fathered four children with her.
1886 Jul 24. His first term in prison; six weeks for forgery whilst working as a clerk in a store serving Devonport Dockyard. He was granted leniency as he had a young wife and child.
1886 Oct 9 Enlisted in Royal Navy
1888 Sep 11. Removed from Navy - leae breaking and misappropriation of money
1888 Nov 19 Old Baily. Tried as Frank Hall. Prisoner's Defence. I know very little about it; I was drunk at the time. I had no reason for doing it whatever. GUILTY of unlawfully wounding.— Six Months' Hard Labour.
1891 married • Hambledon, Hampshire Sarah Shires
1892 married in Plymouth to Elizabeth Jane Loveys or Mary Ann Pyle
1896 Apr 5 . Larceny & 2 counts of Forgery - 12 Months Hard Labour (as Frank Hall)
1899 Dec 6 • Guildford Assizes, Guildford, Surrey Forging & Uttering - 7 Years Penal Servitude (as Frank Hall)
1901 census A convict in Dartmoor Prison
1905 Mar 4 Released from Prison
1910 7 years for forgery and larceny
1915 Mar 10 released from jail
1918. Hardy married for the third and final time to Annie Parker (1894–1980) in Wolverhampton under the name Frank Digby Hardy; the couple had four children. Annie Hardy accompanied her husband to Ireland in 1918 where, under the names A. G. Saville and Frank Harling, he conducted numerous frauds and confidence tricks which led to his arrest and conviction under Justice Gordon in December 1918. Initially sentenced to five years' penal servitude, his sentence was later reduced to three years in January 1919.
1918 Dec 3 • Enniskillen Assizes, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland 5 year's Penal Servitude for Fraud (reduced to three) (as Frank Harling)
1919 Aug 8 "Specially released "
1920 Aug 12. A convicted forger serving a 5 year sentence in a London prison, one F. Digby Hardy, offered his services as a spy. Hardy was to travel to Ireland and establish contact with the IIS. Hardy's letter, however, had been intercepted and transmitted to IIS Headquarters, where Irish operatives began to amass a dossier of incriminating information concerning Hardy's past. Collins actually got a copy of the letter Gooding wrote offering his services.
1920 Sep 20. Collins permitted Hardy to make contact with the IIS, and shortly there after arranged what Hardy had been led to believe was a conference with IIS officers. Those present were in fact American and British journalists anticipating the scoop that Hardy was shortly to provide. During this meeting the leaders of the IIS confronted Hardy with his criminal past, and his mission to penetrate the IIS. When Hardy learned the true identity and purpose of his host, he made a full confession, hoping thereby to obtain leniency from his inquisitors. Because of Hardy's cooperation, the IIS spared his life and gave him until the next morning to be out of Ireland. The story made international news headlines, and the BIS suffered a humiliating reversal before world opinion.
Beaslai of the IRA has in his papers a number of "F D Hardy's" papers from 1918 to 1920
Hardy said was willing to work for Sinn Féin. He said that he could arrange for his boss, Sir Basil Thompson, to be in a secluded part of Dún Laoghaire pier so that the IRA could either kidnap him or take a shot at him. Hardy also promised them that he could lead the the Auxiliaries, into an ambush. He even said that he could help the IRA to locate UVF arms caches.
1921 Nov 09 Arrest • Abertillery, Monmouthshire, Wales False Pretences - Worthless Cheque (as Frank Harling)
1922 Jan 4, tried and sentenced 5 years
1925 Sep 4 Released from jail
1930 Oct 28. Died • Wolverhampton, Staffordshire