The department's development can be traced back to 1887. It evolved out of some of the functions within theNaval Intelligence Department (NID), which originally administered two divisions: Foreign Intelligence Division and Mobilisation Division.
In 1900 a Defence Division was created, later called the War Division, to deal with issues of strategy and defence. In 1902 a fourth function was added, the Trade Division, which was created for matters relating to the protection of merchant shipping.
The Trade Division was abolished in October 1909 in the wake of theCommittee of Imperial Defence inquiry into the feud between theFirst Sea Lord, Admiral SirJohn Fisher and former Commander-in-ChiefChannel Fleet, AdmiralLord Charles Beresford, when it was discovered that the captain heading the Trade Division had been supplying the latter with confidential information during the inquiry.[5]
Following restructuring the NID was relieved of its responsibility forwar planning andstrategy when the outgoing Fisher created anAdmiralty Navy War Council[6] as a stop-gap remedy to criticisms emanating from theBeresford Inquiry that the Navy needed a naval staff, a role the NID had been in fact fulfilling since at least 1900, if not earlier. After this re-organisation, war planning and strategic matters were transferred to the newly createdNaval Mobilisation Department (NMD), and the NID reverted to the position it held prior to 1887, an intelligence collection and collation organisation,[7] but its director remained one of the First Sea Lord's principal advisors.
Sir John Fisher had made known his support for the need of a Naval Staff as early as 1902. In creating a staff theAdmiralty was certainly lagging behind, particularly when theWar Office had aGeneral Staff department as early as 1904, to deal with the aftermath of theSecond Boer War and an assessment of the problems they faced the Admiralty. However, at this point it had noSenior Staff department.
In May 1909, the Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear-AdmiralAlexander Bethell, submitted a proposal for a Navy War Council composed of theFirst Sea Lord as President, the Director of Naval Intelligence as Vice-President, an Assistant Director for War, the President and the Captain of theRoyal Naval War College, and theNaval Assistant to the First Sea Lord. The head of the Naval Intelligence Department's War Division and the Commander of the Royal Naval War College were to act as Joint Secretaries.[8]
In 1911,Winston Churchill, theFirst Lord of the Admiralty, communicated to the Prime MinisterH. H. Asquith that theFirst Sea Lord SirArthur Wilson was opposed to any formation of a new naval staff, and because of this he insisted that he be relieved of his duties by January 1912. Churchill would continue to brief the Prime Minister as the project developed and advised him as to what the composition of the new staff department might initially entail:
War Education Division
War Information Division
War Planning Division
War Mobilisation Division
These divisions would be headed by a new Chief of the War Staff answerable to theBoard of Admiralty and supported by an Assistant Chief of the War Staff. In January 1912, the First Lord released his communique detailing the administrative function of the new department and listed the following new appointments.
Chief of the War Staff
Director of the Operations Division
Director of the Intelligence Division
Director of the Mobilization Division
From 1912, onward additional divisions were established headed bydirectors responsible for their particular function.
At its founding, 12 officers were selected to undergo the new course of training for staff officer.Reginald Plunkett was the first officer selected.[2]
As stated in theChurchill Memorandum on a War Staff for the Royal Navy[9]Point 10: The functions of the War Staff will be advisory. The Chief of the Staff, when decision has been taken upon any proposal, will be jointly responsible with thesecretary for the precise form in which the necessary orders to the Fleet are issued, but the Staff will possess no executive authority. It will discharge no administrative duties. Its responsibilities will end with the tendering of advice and with the accuracy of the facts on which that advice is based.
In early spring 1917 the name "War Staff" was abolished and a replaced by an Admiralty Naval Staff. The First Sea Lord also assumed title of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) and staff functions were grouped under two new heads, theDeputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) and theAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (ACNS).
Primary source for this article is by Harley Simon, Lovell Tony, (2017), Admiralty War Staff (Royal Navy), dreadnoughtproject.org,http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org.
Black, Nicholas (2009).The British Naval Staff in the First World War. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press.ISBN9781843834427.
Harley, Simon and Lovell, Tony (2007).The Admiralty War Staff, dreadnoughtproject.org, Harley and Lovell.
Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division (1929).The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. Its Work and Development. B.R. 1845 (late C.B. 3013). Copy at The National Archives. ADM 234/434.
"Proposals by Director of Naval Intelligence for carrying out the Duties of a General Staff and Re-organisation of the Naval Intelligence Department." 15 May 1909. The National Archives. ADM 1/8047.
Rodger. N.A.M., (1979)The Admiralty (offices of state), T. Dalton, Lavenham,ISBN978-0900963940.
