The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 government position, first applied to Evan Nepean (appointed in 1794). In 1801 the offices for War

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 Colonies

Colonial Office

Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...

 were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies....

. The position was re-instated in 1854 and remained until 1947, when it was combined with that of Financial Secretary to the War Office

Financial Secretary to the War Office

Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....

. In 1964 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...

, 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...

 and 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...

 were merged to form the 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....

, and the post was abolished.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for War, 1794-1801

Name	Period
Evan Nepean	1794–1795
William Huskisson William Huskisson William Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...	1795–1801

See Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies....

 for the period 1801-1854.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for War, 1854-1947

Name	Period
Henry Roberts	1854–1855
Frederick Peel Frederick Peel Sir Frederick Peel was a British Liberal Party politician.The second son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, and was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a barrister in 1849....	1855–1857
Sir John Ramsden, Bt Sir John Ramsden, 5th Baronet Sir John Ramsden, 5th Baronet was a British Liberal Party politician.The fifth Baronet was elected as a Member of Parliament for Hythe in 1857 and served as Under-Secretary of State for War from 1857 to 1858. He resigned through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds on 9 February 1859...	1857–1858
The Viscount Hardinge Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge Field Marshal Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, GCB, PC was a British field marshal and Governor-general of India.-Army career:...	1858–March 1859
The Earl of Rosslyn James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn General James Alexander St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn PC, DL , styled Lord Loughborough from 1805 to 1837, was a Scottish soldier and Tory politician...	March 1859–June 1859
The Earl de Grey George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC , known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.-Background...	June 1859–January 1861
Hon. Thomas Baring Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook PC, GCSI, FRS , was a British Liberal politician and statesman...	January 1861–July 1861
The Earl de Grey George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC , known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.-Background...	July 1861–1863
The Marquess of Hartington Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire KG, GCVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman...	1863–February 1866
The Lord Dufferin and Claneboye Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...	February 1866–July 1866
The Earl of Longford	July 1866–1868
The Lord Northbrook Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook PC, GCSI, FRS , was a British Liberal politician and statesman...	1868–1872
The Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British politician and Irish peer who served successively as the fifth Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs...	1872–1874
The Earl of Pembroke George Herbert, 13th Earl of Pembroke George Robert Charles Herbert, 13th Earl of Pembroke, 10th Earl of Montgomery , known as The Lord Herbert of Lea from 1861 to 1862, was a British Conservative politician...	1874–1875
The Earl Cadogan George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan KG, PC, JP was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...	1875–1878
Viscount Bury	1878–1880
The Earl of Morley Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley Albert Edmund Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley PC, DL, JP , styled Viscount Boringdon until 1864, was a British peer and Liberal, later Liberal Unionist politician.-Background and education:...	1880–1885
Viscount Bury William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Bury between 1851 and 1891, was a British soldier and politician. He served in the British Army before entering parliament in 1857...	1885–February 1886
The Lord Sandhurst William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor...	February 1886–August 1886
The Lord Harris	August 1886–1890
The Earl Brownlow	1890–1892
The Lord Sandhurst William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor...	1892–January 1895
The Lord Monkswell Robert Collier, 2nd Baron Monkswell Robert Collier, 2nd Baron Monkswell , was a British Liberal politician. He was briefly Under-Secretary of State for War under The Earl of Rosebery in 1895.-Background:...	January 1895–July 1895
Hon. St John Brodrick St John Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, KP, PC , known as St John Brodrick until 1907 and as The Viscount Midleton between 1907 and 1920, was a British Conservative Party politician....	July 1895–1898
George Wyndham George Wyndham George Wyndham PC was a British Conservative politician, man of letters, noted for his elegance, and one of The Souls.-Background and education:...	1898–1900
The Lord Raglan George Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan George FitzRoy Henry Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan GBE, CB , styled The Honourable George Somerset until 1884, was a British soldier and Conservative politician...	1900–1902
The Earl of Hardwicke Albert Yorke, 6th Earl of Hardwicke Albert Edward Philip Henry Yorke, 6th Earl of Hardwicke DL , styled Viscount Royston between 1873 and 1897, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician.-Background:...	1902–1903
The Earl of Donoughmore Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 6th Earl of Donoughmore Richard Walter Hely-Hutchinson, 6th Earl of Donoughmore KP, PC , styled Viscount Suirdale until 1900, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician...	1903–1905
The Earl of Portsmouth Newton Wallop, 6th Earl of Portsmouth Newton Wallop, 6th Earl of Portsmouth JP, DL , styled Viscount Lymington until 1891, was a British Liberal politician...	1905–1908
The Lord Lucas of Crudwell	1908–1911
J. E. B. Seely J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...	1911–1912
Harold Tennant Harold Tennant Harold John "Jack" Tennant PC was a Scottish Liberal politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under his brother-in-law H. H...	1912–1916
The Earl of Derby Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...	1916
Ian Macpherson	1916–1919
The Viscount Peel William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:...	1919–1921
Robert Sanders Robert Sanders, 1st Baron Bayford Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Arthur Sanders, 1st Baron Bayford PC, JP was an English politician.-Background and education:...	1921–1922
Hon. Walter Guinness Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne DSO & Bar PC was a Anglo-Irish politician and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 1944, when he was assassinated by the militant Jewish Zionist group Lehi...	1922–1923
Wilfrid Ashley	1923–1924
Clement Attlee Clement Attlee Clement 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...	1924
The Earl of Onslow Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl Onslow GBE, PC , styled Viscount Cranley until 1911, was a British peer, diplomat, parliamentary secretary and government minister.-Background and education:...	1924–1928
The Duke of Sutherland George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland PC, KT , styled Earl Gower until 1892 and Marquess of Stafford between 1892 and 1913, was a British courtier, patron of the film industry and Conservative politician...	1928–1929
The Earl De La Warr Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, GBE, PC, DL, JP , styled Lord Buckhurst until 1915 , was a British politician. He was the first hereditary peer to join the Labour Party and became a government minister at the age of 23...	1929–1930
The Lord Marley Dudley Aman, 1st Baron Marley Dudley Leigh Aman, 1st Baron Marley DSC , was a British soldier and Labour politician.Marley was the son of Edward Godfrey Aman, of Farnham, and was educated at Marlborough and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. During the First World War he served in France and Belgium as a Major in the Royal...	1930–1931
Office vacant	1931
The Earl Stanhope James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope James Richard Stanhope, 13th Earl of Chesterfield and 7th Earl Stanhope KG, DSO, MC, PC , styled Viscount Mahon until 1905, and known as The Earl Stanhope from 1905 until 1967, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:Stanhope was the eldest son of Arthur Stanhope, 6th Earl Stanhope, and...	1931–1934
The Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal Donald Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal Donald Stirling Palmer Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....	1934–1939
The Earl of Munster Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster Sir Geoffrey William Richard Hugh FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster KBE PC , was a British peer and Conservative politician....	1939
The Viscount Cobham John Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham John Cavendish Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham KCB , was a British peer, soldier and Conservative politician....	1939–1940
Sir Henry Page Croft, Bt Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft was a British Conservative Party politician.-Early life and family:He was born at Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Benyon Croft a naval officer and a major benefactor of the Richard Hale School, and Anne Elizabeth...   and Sir Edward Grigg Edward Grigg, 1st Baron Altrincham Edward William Macleay Grigg, 1st Baron Altrincham, KCMG, KCVO, DSO, MC, PC was a British colonial administrator and politician.-Early years:...	1940–1942
Sir Henry Page Croft, Bt Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft was a British Conservative Party politician.-Early life and family:He was born at Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Benyon Croft a naval officer and a major benefactor of the Richard Hale School, and Anne Elizabeth...   and Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson, Baron Rowley Arthur Henderson, Baron Rowley, PC was a British Labour Party politician.Arthur Henderson was the son of Arthur Henderson, who was Leader of the Labour Party between 1908-1910, 1914-17 and 1931-1932.-Parliament:...	1942–1943
Sir Henry Page Croft, Bt Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft was a British Conservative Party politician.-Early life and family:He was born at Fanhams Hall in Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Benyon Croft a naval officer and a major benefactor of the Richard Hale School, and Anne Elizabeth...	1943–1945
The Lord Nathan Harry Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan Harry Louis Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan, PC was a Liberal politician, who later joined the Labour Party....	1945–1946
The Lord Pakenham Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer...	1946–April 1947

In April 1947 the office was combined with that of Financial Secretary to the War Office

Financial Secretary to the War Office

Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....

.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for War and Financial Secretary to the War Office, 1947-1964

Name	Period
John Freeman	1947–?
Michael Stewart Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham Robert Michael Maitland Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham, CH, PC was a British Labour politician and Fabian Socialist who served twice as Foreign Secretary in the first cabinet of Harold Wilson.- Early life :...	?–1951
Woodrow Wyatt Woodrow Wyatt Woodrow Lyle Wyatt, Baron Wyatt of Weeford , was a British politician, published author, journalist and broadcaster, close to the Queen Mother, Margaret Thatcher and Rupert Murdoch...	1951
James Hutchison	1951–1954
Fitzroy Maclean	1954–1957
Julian Amery Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, PC was a British politician of the Conservative Party, who served as a Member of Parliament for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1960. He was created a life peer upon his retirement from the House of...	1957–1958
Hon. Hugh Fraser Hugh Fraser (politician) Major Sir Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser MBE was a British Conservative politician and first husband of the author Lady Antonia Fraser.-Youth and military career:...	1958–1960
James Ramsden	1960–1963
Peter Kirk Peter Michael Kirk Sir Peter Michael Kirk, was a British Conservative politician and a junior minister in the governments of Alec Douglas-Home and Edward Heath....	1963–April 1964

Office reorganised 1 April 1964

Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for War, 1854-1966

Name	Period
G. C. Mundy	1854–1857
Sir Benjamin Hawes	1857–1862
Sir Edward Lugard	1862–1871
J. C. Vivian	1871–1878
Sir R. W. Thomson	1878–1895
Sir Arthur Haliburton Arthur Haliburton, 1st Baron Haliburton Arthur Lawrence Haliburton, 1st Baron Haliburton GCB DL was a Canadian-born British civil servant.-Background and education:...	1895–1897
Sir Ralph Henry Knox	1897–1901
Sir Edward Ward	1901–1914
Sir Reginald Brade Sir Reginald Brade Sir Reginald Herbert Brade, GCB was a British civil servant.-Life:Brade was educated at Bradfield College in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. He entered the War Office as Clerk of the Higher Division of the Civil Service in 1884...	1914–1920
Sir Herbert Creedy	1920–1939
Sir P. J. Grigg P. J. Grigg Sir Percy James Grigg PC , better known as Sir P. J. Grigg was a British civil servant who was surprisingly moved from being the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the War Office to become Secretary of State for War, the political head of the same department during the Second World...	1939–1942
Sir Frederick Bovenschen and Sir Eric Speed	1942–1945
Sir E. Speed	1945–1949
Sir G. Turner	1949–1956
Sir Edward Playfair Edward Playfair Sir 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...	1956–1960
Richard Way	1960–1963
A. Drew	1963–1964