Ministry of Defence (1947–1964)
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Defence was a department of the British Government responsible for defence and the British Armed Forces
.
(CID). In 1936 the post of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence was established, though he did not have a department and the heads of the three services - the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Royal Navy
, the Secretary of State for War
for the Army
and the Secretary of State for Air
for the Royal Air Force
- continued to attend Cabinet
.
On the outbreak of war in 1939 the CID was suspended and on 3 April 1940 the office of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence was abolished. When Winston Churchill
became Prime Minister in May 1940 he personally assumed responsibility for inter-service co-ordination, with the title of Minister of Defence, and the heads of the three services were not included in the War Cabinet
. After the end of the European war
in May 1945 the First Lord and the Secretaries for War and Air rejoined the Cabinet, though the Prime Minister remained Minister of Defence.
The suspension of the CID was made permanent by a White Paper
(Cmd. 6923) in 1946, and from 4 October that year the service chiefs were no longer in the Cabinet. The former First Lord of the Admiralty A.V. Alexander was appointed Minister of Defence on 20 December 1946 and the Ministry of Defence was formally established on 1 January 1947 by the Ministry of Defence Act 1946. The Ministry was responsible for liasing between the individual service ministries and co-ordinating defence policy.
Under the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 the Ministry of Defence was merged with the Admiralty
, the War Office
and the Air Ministry
to form the current Ministry of Defence
on 1 April 1964; the Minister of Defence became Secretary of State for Defence
.
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
.
History
Prior to the Second World War defence policy was co-ordinated by the Committee of Imperial DefenceCommittee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of World War II...
(CID). In 1936 the post of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence was established, though he did not have a department and the heads of the three services - the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
for the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the Secretary of State for Air
Secretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
- continued to attend Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
.
On the outbreak of war in 1939 the CID was suspended and on 3 April 1940 the office of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence was abolished. When Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
became Prime Minister in May 1940 he personally assumed responsibility for inter-service co-ordination, with the title of Minister of Defence, and the heads of the three services were not included in the War Cabinet
Churchill War Ministry
-The War Cabinet:Changes*August 1940: Lord Beaverbrook , Minister of Aircraft Production, joins the War Cabinet*October 1940: Sir John Anderson succeeds Neville Chamberlain as Lord President. Sir Kingsley Wood, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour, enter the War...
. After the end of the European war
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
in May 1945 the First Lord and the Secretaries for War and Air rejoined the Cabinet, though the Prime Minister remained Minister of Defence.
The suspension of the CID was made permanent by a White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
(Cmd. 6923) in 1946, and from 4 October that year the service chiefs were no longer in the Cabinet. The former First Lord of the Admiralty A.V. Alexander was appointed Minister of Defence on 20 December 1946 and the Ministry of Defence was formally established on 1 January 1947 by the Ministry of Defence Act 1946. The Ministry was responsible for liasing between the individual service ministries and co-ordinating defence policy.
Under the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 the Ministry of Defence was merged with the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
to form the current Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
on 1 April 1964; the Minister of Defence became Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
.
Ministers of Defence, 1940-1964
- 10 May 1940: Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, also Prime Minister - 27 July 1945: Clement AttleeClement AttleeClement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
, also Prime Minister - 20 December 1946: A.V. Alexander (created Viscount Alexander of Hillsborough on 27 January 1950)
- 28 February 1950: Emanuel Shinwell
- 28 October 1951: Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, also Prime Minister - 1 March 1952: The Viscount Alexander of TunisHarold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of TunisField Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
(created Earl Alexander of TunisEarl Alexander of TunisEarl Alexander of Tunis is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 14 March 1952 for the prominent military commander Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Viscount Alexander of Tunis...
on 14 March 1952) - 18 October 1954: Harold MacmillanHarold MacmillanMaurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
- 7 April 1955: Selwyn LloydSelwyn LloydJohn Selwyn Brooke Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd CH PC CBE TD , known for most of his career as Selwyn Lloyd, was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Foreign Secretary from 1955 to 1960, then as Chancellor of the Exchequer until 1962...
- 20 December 1955: Sir Walter Monckton
- 18 October 1956: Antony HeadAntony Head, 1st Viscount HeadAntony Henry Head, 1st Viscount Head GCMG, CBE, MC, PC was a British soldier, Conservative politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...
- 13 January 1957: Duncan SandysDuncan SandysEdwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys CH PC was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s...
- 14 October 1959: Harold Watkinson
- 13 July 1962: Peter ThorneycroftPeter ThorneycroftGeorge Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft CH, PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.-Biography:...
Permanent Secretaries to the Ministry of Defence, 1947-1964
- 1947: Sir Henry Wilson Smith
- 1948: Sir Harold ParkerHarold ParkerHarold Parker was a British-born sculptor, raised in Australia and subsequently working in the UK.His family moved to Brisbane, Australia in 1876 He studied at the Brisbane Technical College under John A Clarke and Godfrey Rivers, then in 1896 left for London where he studied under William Silver...
- 1956: Sir Richard PowellRichard PowellRichard Powell may refer to:*Dick Powell , American singer, actor, producer, and director*Richard P. Powell , American author*Richard M. Powell , American screenwriter*Richard Powell , Welsh rugby union player...
- 1960: Sir Edward PlayfairEdward PlayfairSir Edward Wilder Playfair KCB was a British civil servant.Edward Playfair was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He achieved a first class degree in Classics and then read History.He started work at the UK government Inland Revenue in 1931. In 1934, he moved to the Treasury...
- 1961: Sir Robert ScottRobert Heatlie ScottSir Robert Heatlie Scott GCMG CBE was a British civil servant who became Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence.-Career:...
- 1964: Sir Henry Hardman
Parliamentary Secretaries to the Ministry of Defence, 1952-1964
- 28 February 1952: Nigel BirchNigel Birch, Baron RhylEvelyn Nigel Chetwode Birch, Baron Rhyl, PC, OBE was a British Conservative politician.The son of General Sir Noel Birch and his wife Florence Chetwode, Nigel Birch was educated at Eton. He was a partner in Cohen Laming Hoare until May 1939 when he retired to study politics...
- 18 October 1954: The Lord CarringtonPeter Carington, 6th Baron CarringtonPeter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, is a British Conservative politician. He served as British Foreign Secretary between 1979 and 1982 and as the sixth Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. He is the last surviving member of the Cabinets of both Harold Macmillan and Sir...
- 26 May 1956: The Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 6th Earl of GosfordArchibald Alexander John Stanley Acheson 6th Earl of Gosford , styled Viscount Accheson until 1954, was a British Peer....
- 18 January 1957: The Lord MancroftStormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron MancroftStormont Mancroft Samuel Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft KBE , was a British Conservative politician.Mancroft was the son of Arthur Michael Samuel, 1st Baron Mancroft, and Phoebe Fletcher. In 1925 he assumed by deed poll the surname of Mancroft...
- 11 June 1957: office vacant.
Sources
- David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000, eighth edition, Macmillan, 2000