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
4 - The Churchill–Fisher Regime, October 1914–May 1915
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
WHILE MANY felt that the Admiralty needed a more vigorous service chief than Battenberg had been, few were necessarily keen, however, to see Fisher back as First Sea Lord. Sturdee was quickly removed as COS (he had also been Beresford's Flag Captain in the days of the ‘Syndicate of Discontent’ – Fisher had a long memory). He was replaced by Oliver although Churchill had toyed with the idea of usingWilson in this role. Fisher's reputation in the service was mixed. While clearly a man of vision, action and guile, he had also divided the Navy and brought the service into the public eye through his dispute with Beresford. Asquith, however, believed that Fisher's return would be popular. It was also to be seen how far Fisher would either rein in his erstwhile pupil, Churchill, or change Admiralty policy more along the lines he preferred. Churchill clearly believed that little would change, later saying to Violet Asquith, ‘I took him because I knew he was old and weak, and that I should be able to keep things in my own hands’. But in October 1914, Asquith could find no one else in whom he had sufficient confidence, so Fisher got the job. Fisher would act as a counter-weight to Churchill, a typically Asquithian touch; a view which Hall, too, supported. Churchill was, however, keen to get on well with his former mentor, and quickly promised to support some of Fisher's favoured plans to which the Staff were equally hostile.
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- The British Naval Staff in the First World War , pp. 104 - 130Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2009