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44-675: In February 1915, the Landship Committee was formed under instructions by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill to develop armoured fighting vehicles for use on the Western Front . R. E. B. Crompton , the appointed technical adviser of the committee, was tasked with producing "alternative designs for the wheeled and tracked machines." However, no reliable tracks were available in Britain at

88-747: A Deputy First Sea Lord , was added to the Board who would administer operations abroad and deal with questions of foreign policy. In October 1917, the development of the staff was carried one step further by the creation of two sub-committees of the Board—the Operations Committee and the Maintenance Committee. The First Lord of the Admiralty was chairman of both committees, and the Operations Committee consisted of

132-567: A demonstration. This information was forwarded to Crompton and a viewing was arranged. On 27 April, William Strait and the tractor arrived at the Clément-Talbot works for testing. Crompton was impressed with the vehicle's design and engineering, and purchased the vehicle for £800. On 30 June, the Landship Committee held a demonstration at the recreation ground adjoining the works to show its progress. The Killen-Strait tractor

176-407: A lot of bureaucracy followed with the merger. In 1860 saw big growth in the development of technical crafts, the expansion of more admiralty branches that really began with age of steam that would have an enormous influence on the navy and naval thought. Between 1860 and 1908, there was no real study of strategy and of staff work conducted within the naval service ; it was practically ignored. All

220-737: A missive on 26 December 1914. Churchill on 5 January 1915 disclosed the Committee notion to Prime Minister Herbert Asquith by letter in which he wrote: The question to be now solved is not the long attack over a carefully prepared glacis of former times, but the actual getting across of 100 or 200 yards of open space and wire entanglements. All this was apparent more than two months ago, but no steps have been taken and no preparations made. Yet it would be quite easy to fit up tractors with armoured shelters, in which men and machine guns could be placed, which would be bullet proof. The caterpillar system would enable trenches to be crossed quite easily, and

264-525: A professional military staff . In May 1917, the term "Admiralty War Staff" was renamed and that department and its functional role were superseded by a new " Admiralty Naval Staff "; in addition, the newly created office of Chief of the Naval Staff was merged in the office of the First Sea Lord. Also appointed was a new post, that of Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff , and an Assistant Chief of

308-762: A separate Navy Board responsible for the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy, the Army Board and the Air Force Board , each headed by the Secretary of State for Defence . In the 20th century the structure of the Admiralty Headquarters was predominantly organized into four parts: Board of Admiralty When the office of Lord High Admiral was in commission, as it was for most of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, until it reverted to

352-816: A single person. The Admiralty was replaced by the Admiralty Board in 1964, as part of the reforms that created the Ministry of Defence and its Navy Department (later Navy Command ). Before the Acts of Union 1707 , the Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs administered the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of England , which merged with the Royal Scots Navy and then absorbed the responsibilities of

396-573: The Admiralty . For secrecy, by December 1915 the name was changed to "the D.N.C.'s Committee" to disguise its purpose. The committee was formed at Churchill's instruction in February 1915, in part from ideas by Colonel Ernest Swinton , who was then employed as a war correspondent for HM government, and by Maurice Hankey , Secretary of the Committee for Imperial Defence , who wrote Churchill

440-675: The Lord High Admiral of the Kingdom of Scotland with the unification of the Kingdom of Great Britain . The Admiralty was among the most important departments of the British Government , because of the Royal Navy's role in the expansion and maintenance of the English overseas possessions in the 17th century , the British Empire in the 18th century , and subsequently. The modern Admiralty Board , to which

484-577: The RNAS Barrow Airship Station in September 1915, serving as a tow tractor there. The project itself was also abandoned, as the vehicle was unable to fulfil all-terrain warfare requirements and could not cross wide trenches. However, the trial would lead to the adoption of tracked propulsion for "Little Willie", the first prototype tank. The vehicle consisted of three tracks. A front track was used for steering, while two tracks in

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528-716: The Tank Supply Committee . The tank was first deployed to the battle of the Somme in September 1916. In 1919 Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors held a session on the inventor of the tank. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in World War I British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for

572-567: The Acts , responsible individually for finance , supervision of accounts , Shipbuilding and maintenance of ships, and record of business. These principal officers came to be known as the Navy Board responsible for 'civil administration' of the navy, from 1546 to 1832. This structure of administering the navy lasted for 285 years, however, the supply system was often inefficient and corrupt its deficiencies were due as much to its limitations of

616-699: The Admiralty Naval Staff in 1917. It was the former senior command, operational planning, policy and strategy department within the British Admiralty. It was established in 1917 and existed until 1964 when the department of the Admiralty was abolished, and the staff departments function continued within the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence until 1971 when its functions became part of the new Naval Staff, Navy Department of

660-594: The Admiralty. The Lords Commissioners were always a mixture of admirals , known as Naval Lords or Sea Lords and Civil Lords, normally politicians. The quorum of the Board was two commissioners and a secretary. The president of the Board was known as the First Lord of the Admiralty , who was a member of the Cabinet . After 1806, the First Lord of the Admiralty was always a civilian, while the professional head of

704-740: The Army. Dumble recommended Crompton to the committee as an expert on heavy traction. The committee's activities were concealed from Kitchener at the War Office , the Board of the Admiralty , and the Treasury, all of whom were expected to block the project. Experiments were performed on the grounds of Hatfield House , the home of the Marquess of Salisbury . The Committee conducted a number of trials with various wheeled and tracked vehicles, and work

748-632: The Board of Admiralty until 1832. Its principal commissioners of the Navy advised the board in relation to civil administration of the naval affairs. The Navy Board was based at the Navy Office . Board of Admiralty civilian members responsible other important civil functions Admiralty Naval Staff It evolved from * Admiralty Navy War Council , (1909–1912) which in turn became the Admiralty War Staff , (1912–1917) before finally becoming

792-652: The CNS to issue orders in their own name, as opposed to them previously being issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty in the name of the Board. In 1964, the Admiralty—along with the War Office and the Air Ministry —were abolished as separate departments of state, and placed under one single new Ministry of Defence . Within the expanded Ministry of Defence are the new Admiralty Board which has

836-517: The Chief of the War Staff who was responsible for administering three new sub-divisions responsible for operations , intelligence and mobilisation . The new War Staff had hardly found its feet and it continually struggled with the opposition to its existence by senior officers they were categorically opposed to a staff. The deficiencies of the system within this department of state could be seen in

880-634: The Crown , it was exercised by a Board of Admiralty, officially known as the Commissioners for Exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, &c. (alternatively of England , Great Britain or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland depending on the period). The Board of Admiralty consisted of a number of Lords Commissioners of

924-539: The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, the Deputy First Sea Lord, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, and Fifth Sea Lord . Full operational control of the Royal Navy was finally handed over to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) by an order in Council , effective October 1917, under which he became responsible for the issuing of orders affecting all war operations directly to the fleet. It also empowered

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968-683: The Ministry of Defence. Offices of the Naval Staff Admiralty Departments The Admiralty Departments were distinct and component parts of the Department of Admiralty that were superintended by the various offices of the Sea Lords responsible for them; they were primarily administrative, research, scientific and logistical support organisations. The departments role was to provide the men, ships, aircraft and supplies to carry out

1012-656: The Naval Brigade. Hetherington had proposed a large wheeled landship, estimated to weigh some 300 tons. A former Royal Engineer, Dumble had managed the London Omnibus Co. and been brought back to service in response to the urgent need for transport by the Royal Naval Division in Antwerp; he had been an adjutant to Colonel R.E.B. Crompton , who was trying to develop cross-country vehicles for

1056-675: The Naval Staff ; all were given seats on the Board of Admiralty. This for the first time gave the naval staff direct representation on the board; the presence of three senior naval senior members on the board ensured the necessary authority to carry through any operation of war. The Deputy Chief of Naval Staff would direct all operations and movements of the fleet, while the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff would be responsible for mercantile movements and anti-submarine operations. The office of Controller would be re-established to deal with all questions relating to supply; on 6 September 1917,

1100-505: The Navy's talent flowed to the great technical universities. This school of thought for the next 50 years was exclusively technically based. The first serious attempt to introduce a sole management body to administer the naval service manifested itself in the creation of the Admiralty Navy War Council in 1909. Following this, a new advisory body called the Admiralty War Staff was then instituted in 1912, headed by

1144-420: The Royal Navy until 1832. King Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission in 1628, and control of the Royal Navy passed to a committee in the form of the Board of Admiralty . The office of Lord High Admiral passed a number of times in and out of commission until 1709, after which the office was almost permanently in commission (the last Lord High Admiral being the future King William IV in

1188-463: The United Kingdom was vested in the monarch from 1964 to 2011. The title was awarded to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh by Queen Elizabeth II on his 90th birthday and since his death in 2021 has reverted to the monarch. There also continues to be a Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom and a Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom , both of which are honorary offices. The office of Admiral of England (later Lord Admiral, and later Lord High Admiral )

1232-564: The approved policy of the Board of Admiralty and conveyed to them during 20th century by the Admiralty Naval Staff. Offices of the Sea Lords Department of the Permanent Secretary The Secretary's Department consisted of members of the civil service it was directed and controlled by a senior civil servant Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty he was not a Lord Commissioner of

1276-617: The command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State . For much of its history, from the early 18th century until its abolition, the role of the Lord High Admiral was almost invariably put "in commission" and exercised by the Lords Commissioner of the Admiralty , who sat on the governing Board of Admiralty , rather than by

1320-505: The conduct of the Dardanelles campaign . There were no mechanisms in place to answer the big strategic questions. A Trade Division was created in 1914. Sir John Jellicoe came to the Admiralty in 1916. He re-organized the war staff as following: Chief of War Staff, Operations, Intelligence, Signal Section , Mobilisation, Trade. It was not until 1917 that the admiralty department was again properly reorganized and began to function as

1364-509: The early 19th century). In this organization a dual system operated the Lord High Admiral (from 1546) then Commissioners of the Admiralty (from 1628) exercised the function of general control (military administration) of the Navy and they were usually responsible for the conduct of any war, while the actual supply lines, support and services were managed by four principal officers, namely, the Treasurer , Comptroller , Surveyor and Clerk of

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1408-461: The functions of the Admiralty were transferred in 1964, is a committee of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom . This Admiralty Board meets only twice a year, and the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy is controlled by a Navy Board (not to be confused with the historic Navy Board ). It is common for the various authorities now in charge of the Royal Navy to be referred to as simply 'The Admiralty'. The title of Lord High Admiral of

1452-472: The navy came to be (and is still today) known as the First Sea Lord . Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (1628–1964) The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of The Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was not vested in a single person. The commissioners were a mixture of politicians without naval experience and professional naval officers,

1496-566: The proportion of naval officers generally increasing over time. Key Officials First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty was the British government's senior civilian adviser on all naval affairs and the minister responsible for the direction and control of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office later the Department of Admiralty.(+) His office

1540-535: The rear provided propulsion. The rear-facing side of the rear tracks tilted upwards, allowing the vehicle to climb obstacles when in reverse gear. It has been proposed that this innovative design inspired the rhomboid shape tracks of the later Mark I tank, though this claim is controversial. Background: History of the tank , Tanks in the British Army Landship Committee The Landship Committee

1584-700: The time, and an officer was sent to the United States to locate suitable tracked vehicles. Between February and April, the Admiralty was contacted by the London agent of the American Killen Strait Manufacturing Company . The company, based in Appleton, Wisconsin , advised the Admiralty that a lightweight chain tractor, along with William Strait from the company, had arrived in the United Kingdom and hoped to give

1628-485: The times they operated in. The various functions within the Admiralty were not coordinated effectively and lacked inter-dependency with each other, with the result that in 1832, Sir James Graham abolished the Navy Board and merged its functions within those of the Board of Admiralty. At the time this had distinct advantages; however, it failed to retain the principle of distinctions between the Admiralty and supply, and

1672-505: The weight of the machines would destroy all wire entanglements. These engines could . . . advance into the enemy's trenches, smash all obstructions, and sweep the trenches with their machine gun fire. The committee started with only three members: d'Eyncourt, as chairman; Flight Commander Thomas Hetherington of the Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Squadron; and Colonel Wilfred Dumble of

1716-522: Was a small British committee formed during the First World War to develop armoured fighting vehicles for use on the Western Front . The eventual outcome was the creation of what is now called the tank . Established in February 1915 by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill , the Committee was composed mainly of naval officers, politicians and engineers. It was chaired by Eustace Tennyson d’Eyncourt , Director of Naval Construction at

1760-504: Was created around 1400; there had previously been Admirals of the northern and western seas. King Henry VIII established the Council of the Marine—later to become the Navy Board —in 1546, to oversee administrative affairs of the naval service. Operational control of the Royal Navy remained the responsibility of the Lord High Admiral, who was one of the nine Great Officers of State . This management approach would continue in force in

1804-528: Was in progress on a prototype vehicle (later to become Little Willie ) when in July 1915 the Committee's existence came to the attention of the War Office. This led to its operations being taken over by the Army and a number of its members transferring from the Navy. From December, 1915 the word "tank" was adopted as a codename for the vehicles in development, and the Landship Committee became known officially as

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1848-479: Was not able to breakthrough the barbed wire. After a short while, Lt Kenneth Symes fitted the turretless armoured bodywork from a Delaunay-Belleville armoured car onto the vehicle, creating the first tracked armoured vehicle. It was envisioned for this vehicle to join the RNAS Armoured Car Section , but this was not realized due to the unit's imminent disbandment. The vehicle was transferred to

1892-555: Was one of the few vehicles available, and the demonstration was attended by Churchill, Minister of Munitions David Lloyd George , Lord Grosvenor , Director of Munitions Supply Sir Frederick Black, Maj Gen Ivor Philipps , Major General George Kenneth Scott-Moncrieff , Colonel Henry Holden and Head of Trench Warfare at the Ministry of Munitions Louis Jackson. The vehicle was driven by Thomas Gerard Hetherington into tensioned barbed wire, across dummy shell holes and small piles of railway sleepers. The vehicle demonstrated good mobility but

1936-410: Was supported by the Naval Secretariat . First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff was the Chief Naval Adviser on the Board of Admiralty to the First Lord and superintended the offices of the sea lords and the admiralty naval staff. Navy Board The Navy Board was an independent board from 1546 until 1628 when it became subordinate to, yet autonomous of

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