Difference between revisions of "Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty"

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The '''Permanent Secretary''' to the [[Board of Admiralty]] (widely referred to as the "Secretary of the Admiralty") was the senior civil servant at the Admiralty, the department of state responsible for the administration of the [[Royal Navy]].  He was the head of the department's permanent staff.  Although not a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, he functioned as a member of the Board, and attended all its meetings.
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The '''Permanent Secretary''' to the [[Board of Admiralty]] (widely referred to as the "Secretary of the Admiralty") was the senior civil servant at the Admiralty, the department of state responsible for the administration of the [[Royal Navy]].  He was the head of the [[Secretary's Department (Royal Navy|Secretary's Department]].  Although not a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, he functioned as a member of the Board, and attended all of its meetings.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
−
The position was abolished on 1 November, 1877.<ref>''A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660''.  ["''A List &hellip;''."]  Tudor 1.  Tudor Papers.  Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.  King's College London.  p. 39.</ref>  It was replaced by that of Naval Secretary to the Board of Admiralty,<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 13.</ref> which it had run parallel to since 1872, but was re-introduced by [[Order in Council of 10 March, 1882|Order in Council]] in 1882.<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 22.</ref>  The office of Naval Secretary was abolished on 8 May.<ref>''A List &hellip;''.  p. 40.</ref>  Mr. Robert G. C. Hamilton, Accountant-General of the Navy, was appointed Permanent Secretary on the same day, but was appointed Under-Secretary to the Chief Secretary for Ireland immediately following the Phoenix Park Murders on 6 May.  Vice-Admiral Robert Hall, who had just relinquished the office of Naval Secretary, was temporarily appointed Permanent Secretary on 15 May.<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''. p. 22.</ref>  Admiral Hall died on 11 June, and Captain [[George Tryon]] was appointed Permanent Secretary on 13 June, also in a temporary capacity. However, he held the post until succeeded by [[Evan MacGregor]] on 2 April, 1884.<ref>''A List &hellip;''.  p. 41.</ref>
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Under the [[Order in Council of 14 January, 1869]], the Second Secretary, now designated Permanent Secretary, was given "exclusive charge of the Secretariat, under the directions of the First Lord of the Admiralty." His salary was fixed at £1,500 per annum.{{UKOrdersinCouncilIII|pp. 254-256}}
  
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==Secretaries==
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The position was abolished on 1 November, 1877.<ref>''A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660''.  p. 39.  Tudor Papers.  Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.  King's College London.  Tudor 1.</ref>  It was replaced by that of [[Naval Secretary to the Board of Admiralty]],{{UKNavalStaff|p. 13}} which it had run parallel to since 1872, but was re-introduced by [[Order in Council of 10 March, 1882|Order in Council]] in 1882 with a salary of £1,800 a year and a house, or an allowance of £200 a year in lieu of a house.{{UKNavalStaff|p. 22}}  The office of Naval Secretary was abolished on 8 May.<ref>''A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660''.  p. 40.  Tudor Papers.  Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.  King's College London.  Tudor 1.</ref> Mr. Robert G. C. Hamilton, Accountant-General of the Navy, was appointed Permanent Secretary on the same day, but was appointed Under-Secretary to the Chief Secretary for Ireland immediately following the Phoenix Park Murders on 6 May.  Vice-Admiral Robert Hall, who had just relinquished the office of Naval Secretary, was temporarily appointed Permanent Secretary on 15 May.{{UKNavalStaff|p. 22}}  Admiral Hall died on 11 June, and Captain [[George Tryon]] was appointed Permanent Secretary on 13 June, also in a temporary capacity.  However, he held the post until succeeded by [[Evan MacGregor]] on 2 April, 1884.<ref>''A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660''.  p. 41.  Tudor Papers.  Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.  King's College London.  Tudor 1.</ref>
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*{{CaptRN}} [[George Tryon]], 13 June, 1882.<ref>''A List &hellip;''.  p. 41.</ref>
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*[[Evan MacGregor|Sir Evan MacGregor]], 2 April, 1884.<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 120.</ref>
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==Duties==
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*[[Charles Inigo Thomas|Sir C. Inigo Thomas]], 1 April, 1907.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
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{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
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*[[William Graham Greene|Sir W. Graham Greene]], 2 October, 1911.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
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! 21 June, 1844.<ref>"Precis of the Division & General Mode of Conducting the Business of the Admiralty at Whitehall."  Dated 21 June, 1844.  {{TNA|ADM 1/5543.}}.</ref>
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*[[Oswyn Alexander Ruthven Murray|Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray]], 7 August, 1917.<ref>''The Naval Staff of the Admiralty''.  p. 81.</ref>
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|-
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| Whilst the 2<sup>nd</sup> Secretary more immediately superintends the correct execution of their Lordships' orders, & the official duties of the Department.
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|}
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{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
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! December, 1868.<ref>H.C. 84, 1869.  p. 2.  Copy in Milne Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  MLN/146/1.</ref>
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|-
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| Correspondence.
 +
|-
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| Discipline of the Office, Whitehall.
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|}
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 +
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
 +
! December, 1872.<ref>"Distribution of Business."  {{TNA|ADM 1/6313.}}</ref>
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|-
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| Discipline of the Office.
 +
|-
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| Contagious Diseases.
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|-
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| Correspondence on:&mdash;<br>Legal matters and Civilian questions.<br>Courts Martial, as regard legal questions and interpretations.<br>Salvage Cases and Collisions as regard legal points.<br>With other Departments of Government, on questions involving legal matters and details.<br>On matters relating to purchase and sale of Stores.<br>On Prize questions and collisions in their legal aspect.<br>Revision of Circulars, draft Orders in Council, and regulations generally.
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|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
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! April, 1875.<ref>"Distribution of Business."  {{TNA|ADM 1/6313.}}</ref>
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|-
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| Discipline of the Office.
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|-
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| Promotions and removals in Naval Department, Whitehall.
 +
|-
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| Contagious Diseases.
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|-
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| Correspondence on:&mdash;<br>Legal matters and Civilian questions.<br>Courts Martial, as regard legal questions and interpretations.<br>Salvage Cases and Collisions as regard legal points.<br>With other Departments of Government, on questions involving legal matters and details.<br>On Prize questions and collisions in their legal aspect.<br>Revision of Circulars, draft Orders in Council, and regulations generally.
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="collapsible wikitable collapsed" style="width: 50%"
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! December, 1888.<ref>"Board of Admiralty.  Distribution of Business Between the Various Members of the Board of Admiralty, Showing the Successive Changes Made Between 1885 and the Present Time."  C.&mdash;6199.  1890.  Copy in Greene Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  GEE/2.</ref>
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|-
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| 1. Discipline of the various Departments of the Admiralty.
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|-
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| 2. Recommendations for Appointments and Promotions in the Admiralty Office.
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|-
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| 3. Correspondence.
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|-
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| 4. Foreign Naval Attach&eacute;s&mdash;Communications with.
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|-
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| 5. Lock Wards in Hospitals receiving assistance from Admiralty.
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|-
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| 6. Appointment of Messengers.
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|-
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| N<small>OTE</small>.  Routine Papers, as defined below, will be disposed of by the Permanent Secretary:&mdash;<br>(''a'') Such as require immediate action or reference to render them sufficiently complete for decision by the Board.<br>(''b'') Such as do not involve some new principle , establish a precedent, or occasion expense not provided for under existing Regulations.<br>(''c'') Such as do not involve any point of discipline, or affect the movements of or orders to  a Ship.
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|}
 +
 
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==Assistant Secretary==
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The Permanent Secretary was assisted by an Assistant Secretary (not a Deputy Secretary,<ref>Rodger.  ''The Admiralty''.  p. 138.</ref> which post didn't exist until after the First World War), whose duties were defined in March, 1913, as follows:
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<blockquote>The Assistant Secretary acts for the Permanent Secretary in his absence and relieves him of such part of his ordinary duties as the Permanent Secretary may assign to him, the Permanent Secretary continuing to be responsible to the Board. He is responsible for the detailed supervision of the departmental organisation for war, and in this capacity is connected with the [[Admiralty War Staff]], and attends and acts as Secretary at the periodical Staff Meetings.  He exercises a general supervision over the Secretary's Department, under the direction of the Permanent Secretary.  He also has general charge of office arrangements, including the allocation of accommodation and the superintendence of the Messenger Staff.<ref>''Official Rules and Procedure''.  p. 2.  Copy in Greene Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  GEE/2.</ref></blockquote>
 +
 
 +
==Permanent Secretaries==
 +
<div name=fredbot:office0 otitle="Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty" nat="UK">
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Robert George Crookshank Hamilton|nick=R. G. C. Hamilton|appt=8 May, 1882{{UKNavalStaff|p. 22}}}}
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{{Tenure|rank=Vice-Admiral|name=Robert Hall|nick=Robert Hall|appt=15 May, 1882{{UKNavalStaff|p. 22}}|note=temporarily}}
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{{Tenure|rank={{RearRN}}|name=George Tryon|nick=George Tryon|appt=13 June, 1882<ref>''A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660''.  p. 41.  Tudor Papers.  Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.  King's College London.  Tudor 1.</ref>|end=31 March, 1884<ref>Tryon Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/13.}}  f. 394.</ref>}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Evan MacGregor|nick=Sir Evan MacGregor|appt=2 April, 1884{{UKNavalStaff|p. 120}}}}
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{{Tenure|rank=|name=Charles Inigo Thomas|nick=Sir C. Inigo Thomas|appt=1 April, 1907{{UKNavalStaff|p. 120}}}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=William Graham Greene|nick=Sir W. Graham Greene|appt=2 October, 1911{{UKNavalStaff|p. 120}}}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Oswyn Alexander Ruthven Murray|nick=Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray|appt=7 July, 1917<ref>Board Minute No. 52 of 20 September, 1917.  "Official Copy of Board Minutes: Meetings of the Board of Admiralty August 1917 to December 1918." p. 21.  {{TNA|ADM 167/53.}}</ref>|end=1936|succBy=Sir R. H. Archibald Carter}}
 +
</div name=fredbot:office0>
 +
 
 +
==Assistant Secretaries==
 +
 
 +
<div name=fredbot:office1 otitle="Assistant Secretary to the Board of Admiralty" nat="UK">
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Edwin Newcome Swainson|nick=Edwin N. Swainson|appt=1880|end=}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Richard Davis Awdry|nick=Richard D. Awdry|appt=1885|end=}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Henry James Van Sittart Neale|nick=Henry J. Van Sittart Neale|appt=1896|end=}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Charles Inigo Thomas|nick=C. Inigo Thomas|appt=1902|end=1907|end=}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=William Graham Greene|nick=Sir W. Graham Greene|appt=1907|end=1911}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Oswyn Alexander Ruthven Murray|nick=Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray|appt=1911|end=September, 1917{{ToL|New Secretary at the Admiralty}}}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=Charles Walker|nick=Charles Walker|appt=September, 1917{{ToL|New Secretary at the Admiralty}}|end=}}
 +
{{Tenure|rank=|name=John William Stewart Anderson|nick=John W. S. Anderson|appt=1918|end=}}
 +
</div name=fredbot:office1>
 +
 
 +
==Assistant Secretary for Finance Duties==
 +
*[[Vincent Wilberforce Baddeley|Vincent W. Baddeley]], 1911 &ndash; 1920.
 +
 
 +
==Acting Assistant Secretary (C)==
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*[[Robert Russell Scott|Robert R. Scott]], 1917 &ndash; 1920.
 +
 
 +
==Acting Staff Assistant Secretary==
 +
*[[John William Stewart Anderson|John W. S. Anderson]], 1917 &ndash; 1918.
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*[[Walter Frederic Nicholson|Walter F. Nicholson]], 1918 &ndash; 1920.
 +
 
 +
==Temporary and Additional Secretary==
 +
*[[Robert Francis Dunnell, First Baronet|R. Francis Dunnell]], 1917 &ndash; 1919.
 +
 
 +
==See Also==
 +
*[[Secretary's Department (Royal Navy)|Secretary's Department]]
  
 
==Footnotes==
 
==Footnotes==
Line 16: Line 111:
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
{{refbegin}}
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*{{BibUKNavalStaff}}
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*"Return "of the Distribution of Business under the Lords of the Admiralty under the Old and New Arrangement for conducting the business of the Department.""  H.C. 84, 1869.  Copies in Greene and Milne Papers.  National Maritime Museum.  GEE/2 and MLN/146/1.
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*{{BlackNavalStaff}}
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*{{HamiltonAdmiralty}}
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*{{UKNavalStaff}}
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*Rodger, N. A. M. (1979).  ''The Admiralty''.  Lavenham: Terence Dalton Limited.  ISBN 0900963948.
 
{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
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[[Category:Permanent Secretaries to the Board of Admiralty|*]]
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{{Template:Board of Admiralty}}
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[[Category:Pages with Offices]]

Latest revision as of 12:45, 12 August 2024

The Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (widely referred to as the "Secretary of the Admiralty") was the senior civil servant at the Admiralty, the department of state responsible for the administration of the Royal Navy. He was the head of the Secretary's Department. Although not a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, he functioned as a member of the Board, and attended all of its meetings.

History

Under the Order in Council of 14 January, 1869, the Second Secretary, now designated Permanent Secretary, was given "exclusive charge of the Secretariat, under the directions of the First Lord of the Admiralty." His salary was fixed at £1,500 per annum.[1]

The position was abolished on 1 November, 1877.[2] It was replaced by that of Naval Secretary to the Board of Admiralty,[3] which it had run parallel to since 1872, but was re-introduced by Order in Council in 1882 with a salary of £1,800 a year and a house, or an allowance of £200 a year in lieu of a house.[4] The office of Naval Secretary was abolished on 8 May.[5] Mr. Robert G. C. Hamilton, Accountant-General of the Navy, was appointed Permanent Secretary on the same day, but was appointed Under-Secretary to the Chief Secretary for Ireland immediately following the Phoenix Park Murders on 6 May. Vice-Admiral Robert Hall, who had just relinquished the office of Naval Secretary, was temporarily appointed Permanent Secretary on 15 May.[6] Admiral Hall died on 11 June, and Captain George Tryon was appointed Permanent Secretary on 13 June, also in a temporary capacity. However, he held the post until succeeded by Evan MacGregor on 2 April, 1884.[7]

Duties

Assistant Secretary

The Permanent Secretary was assisted by an Assistant Secretary (not a Deputy Secretary,[13] which post didn't exist until after the First World War), whose duties were defined in March, 1913, as follows:

The Assistant Secretary acts for the Permanent Secretary in his absence and relieves him of such part of his ordinary duties as the Permanent Secretary may assign to him, the Permanent Secretary continuing to be responsible to the Board. He is responsible for the detailed supervision of the departmental organisation for war, and in this capacity is connected with the Admiralty War Staff, and attends and acts as Secretary at the periodical Staff Meetings. He exercises a general supervision over the Secretary's Department, under the direction of the Permanent Secretary. He also has general charge of office arrangements, including the allocation of accommodation and the superintendence of the Messenger Staff.[14]

Permanent Secretaries

Assistant Secretaries

Assistant Secretary for Finance Duties

Acting Assistant Secretary (C)

Acting Staff Assistant Secretary

Temporary and Additional Secretary

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Orders in Council for the Regulation of the Naval Service. III. pp. 254-256.
  2. ↑ A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660. p. 39. Tudor Papers. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. King's College London. Tudor 1.
  3. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 13.
  4. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 22.
  5. ↑ A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660. p. 40. Tudor Papers. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. King's College London. Tudor 1.
  6. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 22.
  7. ↑ A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660. p. 41. Tudor Papers. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. King's College London. Tudor 1.
  8. ↑ "Precis of the Division & General Mode of Conducting the Business of the Admiralty at Whitehall." Dated 21 June, 1844. The National Archives. ADM 1/5543..
  9. ↑ H.C. 84, 1869. p. 2. Copy in Milne Papers. National Maritime Museum. MLN/146/1.
  10. ↑ "Distribution of Business." The National Archives. ADM 1/6313.
  11. ↑ "Distribution of Business." The National Archives. ADM 1/6313.
  12. ↑ "Board of Admiralty. Distribution of Business Between the Various Members of the Board of Admiralty, Showing the Successive Changes Made Between 1885 and the Present Time." C.—6199. 1890. Copy in Greene Papers. National Maritime Museum. GEE/2.
  13. ↑ Rodger. The Admiralty. p. 138.
  14. ↑ Official Rules and Procedure. p. 2. Copy in Greene Papers. National Maritime Museum. GEE/2.
  15. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 22.
  16. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 22.
  17. ↑ A List of the Lords High Admiral and Commissioners for executing that Office, which have been from time to time appointed, since the year 1660. p. 41. Tudor Papers. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. King's College London. Tudor 1.
  18. ↑ Tryon Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/13. f. 394.
  19. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 120.
  20. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 120.
  21. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 120.
  22. ↑ Board Minute No. 52 of 20 September, 1917. "Official Copy of Board Minutes: Meetings of the Board of Admiralty August 1917 to December 1918." p. 21. The National Archives. ADM 167/53.
  23. ↑ "New Secretary at the Admiralty." The Times (London, England), {{{2}}}.
  24. ↑ "New Secretary at the Admiralty." The Times (London, England), {{{2}}}.

Bibliography

  • "Return "of the Distribution of Business under the Lords of the Admiralty under the Old and New Arrangement for conducting the business of the Department."" H.C. 84, 1869. Copies in Greene and Milne Papers. National Maritime Museum. GEE/2 and MLN/146/1.
  • Black, Nicholas (2009). The British Naval Staff in the First World War. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 9781843834427.
  • Hamilton, C. I. (2011). The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805-1927. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521765183. (on Amazon.co.uk).
  • 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 No. 8 at The National Archives. ADM 234/434.
  • Rodger, N. A. M. (1979). The Admiralty. Lavenham: Terence Dalton Limited. ISBN 0900963948.

Admiralty Seal.jpg
Board of Admiralty
Political Lords Commissioners
 • First Lord of the Admiralty
 • Civil Lord of the Admiralty
 • Fourth Civil Lord (1918 – 1919)
Naval Lords Commissioners
 • First Naval Lord (– 1904) • First Sea Lord (1904 – 1917) • First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1917 –)
 • Second Naval Lord (– 1869, 1872 – 1904) • Second Sea Lord (1904 – 1917) • Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel (1917 –)
 • Third Naval Lord (– 1869) • Third Lord and Controller (1869 – 1872) • Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy (1882 – 1904) • Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy (1904 – 1912) • Third Sea Lord (1912 – 1917) • Third Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Matériel (1917 – 1918) • Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy (1918 –)
 • Junior Naval Lord (– 1904) • Fourth Sea Lord (1907 – 1917) • Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport (1917 –)
 • Fifth Sea Lord (1917) • Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Service (1917 – 1918)
 • Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1917 – 1940)
 • Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (1917 – 1929)
 • Deputy First Sea Lord (1917 – 1919)
Civil Lords Commissioners
 • Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1882 – 1885, 1912 – 1919)
 • Third Civil Lord (1918 – 1919)
 • Controller (1917 – 1918)
Secretaries to the Board
 • First Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (– 1869) • Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1869 – 1904) • Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1904 –)
 • Additional Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1917 – 1918)
 • Second Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (– 1869) • Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1869 – 1877, 1880 –)
 • Naval Secretary to the Board of Admiralty (1872 – 1882)
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