Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The Admiralty War Staff, 1912–1918: An Analysis of the Personnel
- 2 The Establishment of the War Staff, and its Work before the Outbreak of War in August 1914
- 3 The Churchill–Battenberg Regime, August–October 1914
- 4 The Churchill–Fisher Regime, October 1914–May 1915
- 5 The Balfour–Jackson Regime, May 1915–November 1916
- 6 The Jellicoe Era, November 1916–December 1917
- 7 The Geddes–Wemyss Regime, December 1917–November 1918
- Conclusion
- Appendix A Senior Admiralty and Staff Officials
- Appendix B The Admiralty Telephone Directories, 1914–1918
- Appendix C Administrative Development of the Admiralty War Staff, 1912–1918
- Bibliography
- Index
Foreword
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Foreword
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The Admiralty War Staff, 1912–1918: An Analysis of the Personnel
- 2 The Establishment of the War Staff, and its Work before the Outbreak of War in August 1914
- 3 The Churchill–Battenberg Regime, August–October 1914
- 4 The Churchill–Fisher Regime, October 1914–May 1915
- 5 The Balfour–Jackson Regime, May 1915–November 1916
- 6 The Jellicoe Era, November 1916–December 1917
- 7 The Geddes–Wemyss Regime, December 1917–November 1918
- Conclusion
- Appendix A Senior Admiralty and Staff Officials
- Appendix B The Admiralty Telephone Directories, 1914–1918
- Appendix C Administrative Development of the Admiralty War Staff, 1912–1918
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Nicholas Black's study demonstrates that previous evaluations of the Naval Staff in the First World War need to be reconsidered. In place of bumbling amateurs, and the 'sick and the maimed’ The British Naval Staff in the First World War shows that the Staff attracted officers of real calibre at a time when manning levels were desperately stretched. Officers found themselves on the staff because of their skills, and attempted to apply developing technology and limited resources to a conflict that was unprecedented in its scope and impact.
The war also brought about major developments to the staff itself. It grew, specialised, and became a significant resource for the Board of Admiralty in the conduct of the war. This book is not specifically about the actions of warships at sea, but rather it is about the performance of an immature bureaucracy coping with new challenges amidst a war of national survival. The British Naval Staff in the First World War challenges accepted dogma and clearly demonstrates that the relationship between these two aspects of the war – operations and staff work – need to be re-evaluated.
None of this is to say that mistakes were not made, that blunders were committed that could, and should, have been avoided, but what is apparent from this book is the degree to which the Staff got things right. Other books on the First World War have talked about the concept of the ‘learning curve’ in the conduct of operations.
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- Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2009