 By 1911 he had invented the "girdle traverse", practising at Castle Naze in the Derbyshire Peak District before applying his concept to the face of Scafell.Although Herford spent considerable time on the crags, the quality of his academic work was superior, and he was at the top of his class in mathematics and physics when he graduated in 1912.He then received a postgraduate scholarship which allowed him to do aeronautical research at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough.